tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84196051506722016832024-03-18T11:06:20.444-07:00Marvel in the Silver AgeGrowing up in the 1960s, I was surrounded by pop-culture touchstones – The Beatles, The Man from UNCLE and Civil War News gum cards. The biggest influence on my life was Marvel Comics. I wanted to write something about the early days of Marvel, but felt it needed to be put in the right cultural context. So this is my Marvel Comics ...AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-82295654582150708652024-03-10T03:12:00.000-07:002024-03-10T03:12:29.278-07:00Yet More Marvel Cowboys - Ghost Rider: Part 1<p><b>OLD-TIME FANS TEND TO THINK OF GHOST RIDER</b> as an obscure, short-lived cowboy character from Marvel's late 1960s expansion period. Unless you were born ten years later and think of the character as a motorcyclist with his head on fire. But what might not be quite so well-known is that the character first appeared in the late 1940s as the creation of a completely different publisher.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJePOCx3d-6STh7KDu7JiFlu5wiASmQKzGup9gMo9h7Laj8ZukcL3SFDm_KD9yUXQODPNJhyphenhyphenCvm9t1s0D-x58Vu1d6n1GyGI6rgfFZL5_dJ5tdiQ9H0wH7ig9yJBMTWIb-SAvcRJQSETQo4ShFcpSi8zvDRQK1BYMGHr6E8jRtXUq2hyphenhyphenc6kIKduDyimbB/s581/TimHolt017_05-50.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJePOCx3d-6STh7KDu7JiFlu5wiASmQKzGup9gMo9h7Laj8ZukcL3SFDm_KD9yUXQODPNJhyphenhyphenCvm9t1s0D-x58Vu1d6n1GyGI6rgfFZL5_dJ5tdiQ9H0wH7ig9yJBMTWIb-SAvcRJQSETQo4ShFcpSi8zvDRQK1BYMGHr6E8jRtXUq2hyphenhyphenc6kIKduDyimbB/w275-h400/TimHolt017_05-50.jpeg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Though Dick Ayers drew all the Ghost Rider stories, somehow ME managed to get Frank Frazetta to draw a few of their covers.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The first Ghost Rider began as a backup feature in ME's (Magazine Enterprises) <i>Tim Holt</i> comic, which was a licensed title starring then popular western movie actor <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0392529/" target="_blank">Tim Holt</a>. Initially the character US Marshal Rex Fury posed as the timid, cloth-peddling Calico Kid and did his best, along with his comedy Chinese sidekick Sing-Song, to disrupt the criminal elements in the old West. </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3ufB-ooN7aJciii86B29TDs79DuoX430A9lX9E1FF_yrZ9ERkXVzSXyD10sf0E85w_FEMRuRwXMThd29i-YalIFgxCt9H6lGwQZdquNwDGEy45XdTqd2OPdxH-GKsYZyHSlXieX7C2tcNxmH6xjN9ifInn27MIF50e19HDvk2MvA_GXHPPE1p48toss4/s1200/TimHolt006_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1200" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3ufB-ooN7aJciii86B29TDs79DuoX430A9lX9E1FF_yrZ9ERkXVzSXyD10sf0E85w_FEMRuRwXMThd29i-YalIFgxCt9H6lGwQZdquNwDGEy45XdTqd2OPdxH-GKsYZyHSlXieX7C2tcNxmH6xjN9ifInn27MIF50e19HDvk2MvA_GXHPPE1p48toss4/w400-h279/TimHolt006_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The first two pages of the first Calico Kid story from </i>Tim Holt 6<i> (May 1949).</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>After running in <i>Tim Holt</i> for five issues, ME's publisher Vincent Sullivan told Ayers, "We’re gonna have him be a different character. You think up the costume. We wanna call him the Ghost Rider, and he’ll have clothes that glow in the dark and all that ..." Though some sources credit writer Ray Krank and Dick Ayers with creating the Ghost Rider identity, Ayers himself said that it was mostly Sullivan's idea. Ayers elaborated on the story in an interview with Roy Thomas for <i>Alter Ego</i>. "Vin would come in and sit down and describe what he wanted in The Ghost Rider. He told me to go see Disney's <i>Sleepy Hollow</i> - Ichabod Crane, the Headless Horseman - and then he told me to play the Vaughn Monroe record, 'Ghost Riders in the Sky'."</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJ4vfAWw-q7kqY3IULvrsZm2jHIOlGjx7IqIdIbBTZvEIAdr4Ncipqdzp6yWJYjFjwUKPknNjXYJwrz_qdTwYaUThmhRb-9odpW85y5D-mSBfgEzUds6FW6H_Xj36lgrUvi6Zd0ScI44ftX4yUdc2RUAUXamsUzUSN0Y1adHS_tZyTL1FlMGFx_kBdgkW/s1800/TimHolt011_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1800" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJ4vfAWw-q7kqY3IULvrsZm2jHIOlGjx7IqIdIbBTZvEIAdr4Ncipqdzp6yWJYjFjwUKPknNjXYJwrz_qdTwYaUThmhRb-9odpW85y5D-mSBfgEzUds6FW6H_Xj36lgrUvi6Zd0ScI44ftX4yUdc2RUAUXamsUzUSN0Y1adHS_tZyTL1FlMGFx_kBdgkW/w400-h186/TimHolt011_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In his first appearance in </i>Tim Holt 11<i> (Nov 1949), The Ghost Rider didn't sport his trademark blank white facemask ... no explanation was given for his change of character or the ghostly theme.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>"And then he started talking about what he wanted the guy wearing." The white costume came from either Sullivan or Ray Crank. "I don't know which one it was, Vin or Ray, thought that one up," Ayers told <i>Alter Ego</i>, "but I know they thought of the white and also said it glows in the dark, so we had to think of what made it glow. All we could think of was phosphorescence or phosphorus. And even the horse, we had to have him painted with phosphorus." Don't try this at home, kids.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSviZNYKCSJNpiVX_nYbxx9D6uv1th7KX541Qp6R5TG-8pcakRqyjFv6YREb4dFMMldZUzj9NM27HoeRoFFmp_x5GxWTPYV_I0LuWymnmKFENybgaQKm7A_HcrzIH5S8n76-i1VuvLgwW-D6S_FXVb6aRJkT8VqDeHd4FH5PsLs1hsviBG7Pf1qNeKnqC/s1391/TimHolt012_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="1391" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSviZNYKCSJNpiVX_nYbxx9D6uv1th7KX541Qp6R5TG-8pcakRqyjFv6YREb4dFMMldZUzj9NM27HoeRoFFmp_x5GxWTPYV_I0LuWymnmKFENybgaQKm7A_HcrzIH5S8n76-i1VuvLgwW-D6S_FXVb6aRJkT8VqDeHd4FH5PsLs1hsviBG7Pf1qNeKnqC/w400-h138/TimHolt012_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rex Fury had a lot of fun scaring the chaps off cowboys all over the West. Especially effective was the "talking through a log" routine.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Pretty much from his first appearance in <i>Tim Holt 11</i>, The Ghost Rider started acting like a supernatural being, a schtick was later adopted by DC's The Creeper. Using simple tricks, Rex Fury tried to make his enemies think he was an unstoppable spirit of vengeance. It seemed to work quite well for him.</p><p>Over the first few issues of the run in Tim Holt, The Ghost Rider fought rustlers, fake indians and a gang who'd installed a weak sheriff to there'd be no one to stop their robbing. As the series progressed, The Ghost Rider's opponents became spookier, as he battled (fake) supernatural menaces in stories like "The Screaming Skeleton" in <i>Tim Holt 20</i> (Nov 1950), "The Haunted Hangman" (issue 27, Dec 1951) and "The Headless Horsemen" (issue 28, Feb 1952) - and even faced a fake Ghost Rider in <i>Tim Holt 25</i> (Aug 1951).</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gCR-e-pBPPDLEekrkEZ6T8cZEEBbMFAXJIzRZuTUBQb8RPZ_vfLf6dfAyw986AK4VubcQ5XCR9Yc7xZJ18rl0v2f05PbWDjV439yc0SIHErhfzgdjYOO48ziU-kd30YrOBqTzgMGXj3HkmEJ5N82blQ9og-JWsI00Vs1a_8YWnOwPEBcWa64xiZibM58/s2100/TimHolt_Supervillain_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="2100" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gCR-e-pBPPDLEekrkEZ6T8cZEEBbMFAXJIzRZuTUBQb8RPZ_vfLf6dfAyw986AK4VubcQ5XCR9Yc7xZJ18rl0v2f05PbWDjV439yc0SIHErhfzgdjYOO48ziU-kd30YrOBqTzgMGXj3HkmEJ5N82blQ9og-JWsI00Vs1a_8YWnOwPEBcWa64xiZibM58/w400-h139/TimHolt_Supervillain_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iron Mask in </i>Tim Holt 32<i> (Oct 1952); Iron Mask in </i>Kid Colt 110<i> (May 1963); The Brain in </i>Tim Holt 32;<i> The Brain in </i>Kid Colt 7<i> (Nov 1949).</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>A little later, Both Tim Holt and The Ghost Rider faced some opponents who were a bit super-villainy, like Iron Mask and The Brain. Interestingly, villains with the same names would also show up in the Silver Age run of <i>Kid Colt - Outlaw</i>, covered in this blog <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2024/01/more-marvel-cowboys-kid-colt-outlaw.html">last time</a>. Even more of a coincidence, Dick Ayers was the inker on the cover art for the <i>Kid Colt</i> Iron Mask issue. Coincidence? Perhaps ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU33wJCKzUlnKpPEaKhUHbiq2kkhqRk_IbTy3NxdaXC8hqjLDUP6zbkWEL0glCA2unLtP5RGQZ9LkDwuBiTUWj7Uoyj18nOEchxq4FO9Y8uMUmdws8EzSBDTzccvyCGeiar_3ieo8ebYQY4Cbnqp1A57MHBT2O5ptluedqjJidihh-ps6GZp_eEFf0UvlN/s886/RedMask050_pg01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU33wJCKzUlnKpPEaKhUHbiq2kkhqRk_IbTy3NxdaXC8hqjLDUP6zbkWEL0glCA2unLtP5RGQZ9LkDwuBiTUWj7Uoyj18nOEchxq4FO9Y8uMUmdws8EzSBDTzccvyCGeiar_3ieo8ebYQY4Cbnqp1A57MHBT2O5ptluedqjJidihh-ps6GZp_eEFf0UvlN/w271-h400/RedMask050_pg01.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The last Ghost Rider story was in </i>Red Mask 50<i> (reprinted from </i>Ghost Rider 2<i>) where, presumably to comply with the new Comics Code rules, a nose and mouth were added to the character's usually blank face.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The series continued through the rest of the <i>Tim Holt</i> run until ME changed the title of the book to <i>Red Mask</i> with issue 42 (Jun 1954). The last Ghost Rider story was in issue 50 (Jul 1955), though the <i>Red Mask</i> book continued until issue 54 (Sep 1957).</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRma3W7iCGC_Om84nKMQSOw8OPO2DDIToL5N11UMXvgM-5A4viJPlmccnpuj4QbZ9ulH5luavSgfQsEBwnMhliJPO3hwCQ5N0uH2c4RcY5fM6Z-R_l1gXKXq5tWGh4aUgLjtCy2b_bF7CD9C4bMgxAToV1l0WXJTzjC-r47tPqlrrv1fBWOURamKgWr9do/s579/GhostRider001_08-50.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRma3W7iCGC_Om84nKMQSOw8OPO2DDIToL5N11UMXvgM-5A4viJPlmccnpuj4QbZ9ulH5luavSgfQsEBwnMhliJPO3hwCQ5N0uH2c4RcY5fM6Z-R_l1gXKXq5tWGh4aUgLjtCy2b_bF7CD9C4bMgxAToV1l0WXJTzjC-r47tPqlrrv1fBWOURamKgWr9do/w276-h400/GhostRider001_08-50.jpeg" width="276" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ghost Rider 1 (Aug 1950), art by Dick Ayers.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Somewhere in the middle of all that, Ghost Rider got his own book. With the first issue cover-dated August 1950, concurrent with <i>Tim Holt 19</i>, the series lasted 14 issues, with the last dated around October 1954 (which have been the same month that <i>Red Mask 44</i> came out). Quite why ME decided to change the parent book's title from <i>Tim Holt</i> to <i>Red Mask</i> isn't known, but my best guess would be it was so they wouldn't have to pay the movie actor to use his name any more.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqDK6sntgcHsjD-ETMG21qdzCyE7SWqa0q9UedSNidtQim6bbQZT4kxqnWLNzyVE5rskKD-Ql71wZp0wcjAduxADaHjZB7lTy8WKrMFznWEjxAFyy8AGYd6ZFFiuKV1LMfTV9U2DlGmmVAfx-ODE7jPbflcKvMkAY10iKDSI2OsYdXzfvmoELk3SZXatt/s2284/GhostRider002-006_Frazetta.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="2284" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqDK6sntgcHsjD-ETMG21qdzCyE7SWqa0q9UedSNidtQim6bbQZT4kxqnWLNzyVE5rskKD-Ql71wZp0wcjAduxADaHjZB7lTy8WKrMFznWEjxAFyy8AGYd6ZFFiuKV1LMfTV9U2DlGmmVAfx-ODE7jPbflcKvMkAY10iKDSI2OsYdXzfvmoELk3SZXatt/w400-h135/GhostRider002-006_Frazetta.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>After starting out as a funny animal cartoonist for the Pines publishing house, fledgling artistic genius Frank Frazetta got some of his earliest dramatic work drawing</i> Ghost Rider<i> covers for maverick comics publisher Magazine Enterprises.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But with the solo series, editor Ray Krank was free to feature The Ghost Rider in increasingly macabre situations on the covers of the spin-off series. After a glorious run on issues 2 - 5 by a young artist called Frank Frazetta the subsequent cover art, by <i>Ghost Rider</i> regular Dick Ayers, became more and more outlandish.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LXm2y8vdu-ttJKOdyXNJ1xN-ucgIAYdx9SZBsFEMv10Y8CxVIc8bN1_Ou4r3UEH9G3Gh71FxQ3rGMlduJH1XwIBH9rsMyjj39QHQAmsRWqL1YNdDjd3eQ2jXzDDmB9w7GRjPNxDt4sFt2_HaZt5dVvmTbtY3FmGwwipU5InkVUaJOVKZ17PWaOvhWB3E/s1900/GhostRider006-008_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1900" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LXm2y8vdu-ttJKOdyXNJ1xN-ucgIAYdx9SZBsFEMv10Y8CxVIc8bN1_Ou4r3UEH9G3Gh71FxQ3rGMlduJH1XwIBH9rsMyjj39QHQAmsRWqL1YNdDjd3eQ2jXzDDmB9w7GRjPNxDt4sFt2_HaZt5dVvmTbtY3FmGwwipU5InkVUaJOVKZ17PWaOvhWB3E/w400-h181/GhostRider006-008_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The steadily spookier covers on </i>Ghost Rider<i> might have had something to do with the rise of EC Comics in the early 1950s. But it also sort of makes sense to have a character called Ghost Rider at least </i>appear<i> to battle supernatural menaces.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>It started off with a bunch of guys in white sheets - more Klan than spooks - and a brainy midget, but by issue 7, we were getting giant winged snakes, zombies and murder in the wax museum. Issue 8 gave us a haunted hotel, a haunted girl and dope-smoking murderers. These all turned out to be fakes (except for the dope smokers), the sort of stuff that Scooby-Doo and the gang would be up against in the cartoon series of the 1960s.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1PsZNy-t1Z61BElSiVbKW_kmjD4Rkgy-iegFIqtYuLruhcC3WliPc4uMbOXW-J5PWCJELv6CfWaK-jb9jdDE5kaIkiOO8PKKkTElpdxdsh2gD5mSW2zhBREcmZ5Ea-EDsyJ1QNBQfX8D0_CVhXx_evhUCHF3dCs_54kILjUVdjqLl24k0m4XsRZOusi6/s1900/GhostRider009-011_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1900" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1PsZNy-t1Z61BElSiVbKW_kmjD4Rkgy-iegFIqtYuLruhcC3WliPc4uMbOXW-J5PWCJELv6CfWaK-jb9jdDE5kaIkiOO8PKKkTElpdxdsh2gD5mSW2zhBREcmZ5Ea-EDsyJ1QNBQfX8D0_CVhXx_evhUCHF3dCs_54kILjUVdjqLl24k0m4XsRZOusi6/w400-h183/GhostRider009-011_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>How did Vin Sullivan not get sued by Universal Pictures for his Frankenstein rip-off in</i> Ghost Rider 10<i>? Maybe the top brass at Universal didn't read comic books.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Ghost Rider 9</i> (Oct 1952) gave us a flying vulture man, a walking dead man and a town that seemed to be possessed by demons. Issue 10 went all-out with The Frankenstein Monster, a giant lizard man and a tiger demon. Things calmed down a little in Ghost Rider 11 (Mar 1953) with just a beautiful witch, a haunted portrait and snoopy reporter to deal with.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XiFe-Qb39GpGneOdni65qkER-zZ6bFgQ0mA4lApae5iUqnd-jBgvf-FwpBPviv9i63chAqjpA8Jf-RuPlwNaH4TwY54Tef_6Z-Y_XeSQEZHmz7ap_Qc6v0vsOJVGj0lh88_v7e72FReMMR1XKYksbswBxTnjWoJ2rmtMXfnnC4jVPNBCI6fABMafx95f/s1900/GhostRider012-014_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1900" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XiFe-Qb39GpGneOdni65qkER-zZ6bFgQ0mA4lApae5iUqnd-jBgvf-FwpBPviv9i63chAqjpA8Jf-RuPlwNaH4TwY54Tef_6Z-Y_XeSQEZHmz7ap_Qc6v0vsOJVGj0lh88_v7e72FReMMR1XKYksbswBxTnjWoJ2rmtMXfnnC4jVPNBCI6fABMafx95f/w400-h184/GhostRider012-014_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ghost Rider 12<i> (May 1953) was the last of the horror covers on the title. The last two issues - still a little edgy - were more traditional in their subject matter.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The last couple of issues toned down the horror elements on their covers. By this time the anti-horror movement, spurred by Frederic Wertham's campaign in the newspapers and magazines of the period, may well have made Vin Sullivan a little cautious. That said, the supernatural shennanigans continued inside the book, at least for issue 13, with talking skeletons and a native American demon. With <i>Ghost Rider 14</i> (undated, but probably early 1954), the final issue, things took a slightly more sedate turn, as though Publisher Vincent Sullivan was thinking about a new, safer direction for the character ....</p>
<p>Nevertheless, even after the cancellation of The Ghost Rider's own title, the character continued to battle his way through a horde of fake supernatural menaces in the pages of <i>Tim Holt</i> (and its continuation <i>Red Mask</i>) right the way up to issue 49 (May 1955). Then, with the effects of the anti-comics campaign really beginning to bite, the last Magazine Enterprises title <i>Red Mask</i> was cancelled with issue 53 (May 1956).</p><p>It would be ten years before The Ghost Rider would once again rise from the grave to terrorise bad guys across the West, this time at Marvel Comics under the sponsorship of Stan Lee's assistant editor Roy Thomas.</p>
<p><b>Next: Marvel's Ghost Rider (no, the other, other one)</b></p>
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AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-59745636495752828552024-01-20T09:17:00.000-08:002024-02-13T09:38:45.616-08:00More Marvel Cowboys: Kid Colt - Outlaw<p><b>BACK IN THE 1960s IT WAS THE SUPERHEROES THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.</b> First, the colourful DC heroes like Flash and especially Green Lantern. Then by the mid-Sixties, I'd focussed more on the Marvel heroes. I was aware that Marvel published other titles from the house ads in the superhero titles, but as I've mentioned before in this blog, <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2018/04/meet-kid-marvels-first-cowboy-hero.html">I was never much of a fan of war comics or cowboys</a>. It wasn't until much later in my comic collecting endeavours that I began to appreciate that Stan was a pretty good writer in almost any genre.</p>
<p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo_k9bvrp32R85JFHSJ4Uippj1elTCKvzQRaIps0Ka0qGOm1rPEZ8nFVrC0OqyGO1_Fq8UzYwb184fogeEGmtV7h1STmUuWwrbKBI1TnUAfVr5Tc7xKo1FyzP4Gj4BewChf-CQuCZRmiVhS3bDTs0VIMRzHSn4_2ymXA4vVsJBFGiO_wEX6M9Td5MKXid/s1198/KidColt089_pinup.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo_k9bvrp32R85JFHSJ4Uippj1elTCKvzQRaIps0Ka0qGOm1rPEZ8nFVrC0OqyGO1_Fq8UzYwb184fogeEGmtV7h1STmUuWwrbKBI1TnUAfVr5Tc7xKo1FyzP4Gj4BewChf-CQuCZRmiVhS3bDTs0VIMRzHSn4_2ymXA4vVsJBFGiO_wEX6M9Td5MKXid/s320/KidColt089_pinup.jpeg" width="214" /></a></p>
<p>Marvel had three western characters that stood the test of time. I already covered <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2018/04/meet-kid-marvels-first-cowboy-hero.html">Two-Gun Kid in an earlier post</a>. Of the remaining two, <i>Kid Colt Outlaw</i> had the longer run, clocking up 229 issues of his own title, as opposed to Rawhide Kid, who only managed 151 issues. Kid Colt also racked up dozens of appearances in Marvel's contemporary Western anthologies, like <i>Wild Western</i>, <i>Western Winners</i> and the odd filler slot in <i>Two-Gun Kid</i>.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTa4yFVu54Zloxd3TGyvXEQq2KgBylqs7UTqwYs1EOBGRJg-BDMTLrEvM1wijEIsVmOSe2_eUr2XdPQWR3yGhyIamnNY7Jnu10Zl1pf71EvrIX_xLX7Xbxh-N398qGphtnEsB9n4cb46Vez7w_DE6tugUZ_8-sAdxrbyyozRdtAGUbGvfLQFXnx9kuroG3/s1800/KidColt001_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="1800" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTa4yFVu54Zloxd3TGyvXEQq2KgBylqs7UTqwYs1EOBGRJg-BDMTLrEvM1wijEIsVmOSe2_eUr2XdPQWR3yGhyIamnNY7Jnu10Zl1pf71EvrIX_xLX7Xbxh-N398qGphtnEsB9n4cb46Vez7w_DE6tugUZ_8-sAdxrbyyozRdtAGUbGvfLQFXnx9kuroG3/w400-h196/KidColt001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Originally titled </i>Kid Colt Hero of the West<i>, the book joined existing Timely Westerns like</i> Western Outlaws and Sheriffs<i> and </i>Wild Western<i>, becoming the sixth Marvel Western comic and the third cowboy to appear in his own title.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Kid Colt Outlaw arrived, full-blown, in his own title on 25 June 1948 (cover-dated August), in a 52-page mag, scripted by Ernie Hart and drawn by Bill Walsh. Who actually created the character is now lost in the mists of time, but as the back story of Kid Colt is so very similar to that of Two-Gun Kid, I wonder if Stan Lee didn't have a big hand in both.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">HOW IT ALL BEGAN</h3>
<p>Both Kid Colt and Two-Gun Kid grew up the sons of farmers. Both are pacifists who have sworn not to carry guns. And both take up shootin' irons when their respective fathers are killed. When Blaine Colt's father is murdered and the family farm stolen by crooked Sheriff Yates, young Blaine takes up his dad's six-gun to avenge his murder. But killing a lawman will never end well for the shooter, so young Blaine becomes Kid Colt, Outlaw ... always one step ahead of the posse, roaming the range and righting wrongs wherever he goes.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjmKe9G_oKm9h2sRbZaSMCn47PhtV3Z-FMzEohQGXyxCWCTsN0DTLVcL61vt6sDZVYvx1-EndNmqaevRuYCc6mjkYxDUYSx0WFzlqc6ZgxjCuO0Oed_2KsJn2R7HPMnD2ii1sTP1f11JZuu_GiNVoRnQ8bY0m0rAN8Ba1xKSPCaJVNXzd9pyLceJNmdZT/s1262/KidColt002-4_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1262" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjmKe9G_oKm9h2sRbZaSMCn47PhtV3Z-FMzEohQGXyxCWCTsN0DTLVcL61vt6sDZVYvx1-EndNmqaevRuYCc6mjkYxDUYSx0WFzlqc6ZgxjCuO0Oed_2KsJn2R7HPMnD2ii1sTP1f11JZuu_GiNVoRnQ8bY0m0rAN8Ba1xKSPCaJVNXzd9pyLceJNmdZT/w400-h189/KidColt002-4_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Marvel wasn't too sure what to call Kid Colt's comic at the start, but quickly settled down to </i>Kid Colt Outlaw<i>. For some reason, </i>Kid Colt 2<i> (Oct 1948) was 36 pages, while 3 and 4 were 52 pagers. All the covers of this first run were by Syd Shores.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The earliest stories were written by Ernie Hart, which will be a familiar name to regular readers of this blog, and drawn by Bill Walsh, a veteran of the Iger Eisner shop who had largely disappeared from comics by 1953, returning to the medium for a long stint on <i>Treasure Chest</i> in the early to mid 1960s. </p><p>Over the next few issues many Marvel regulars contributed art to the series, with Russ Heath as the main artist and others, like Mike Sekowsky, Gene Colan and Joe Maneely, pitching in, mostly over scripts by Ernie Hart and, later, Leon Lazarus.</p><p>There was a three month break between <i>Kid Colt 4</i> (Feb 1949) and <i>Kid Colt 5</i> (May 1949) and when the series returned it was again as a 36-pager, though issues 9 and 10 of the book were back to 52 pages, before reverting to the standard 36 pages for the remainder of the run.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmyulPY2lb3S6duJ2udqphOANVUPc2rPY7I9chv2V6hz14RzP7RU6TfyXQ6GDDJbTPnMTLDGKhIWZwLMe1DRvfkMTG5A-RdH2tLVyjmsQ07F0eWF17d1wD5m0yMrPr0NqsGVKOdVaBBs4rZcuQlQ0JnH0Hw9ZPG0ymdL6V3gYGrD0CC2ee5jmuODEubno/s1300/KidColt005-007_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1300" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmyulPY2lb3S6duJ2udqphOANVUPc2rPY7I9chv2V6hz14RzP7RU6TfyXQ6GDDJbTPnMTLDGKhIWZwLMe1DRvfkMTG5A-RdH2tLVyjmsQ07F0eWF17d1wD5m0yMrPr0NqsGVKOdVaBBs4rZcuQlQ0JnH0Hw9ZPG0ymdL6V3gYGrD0CC2ee5jmuODEubno/w400-h186/KidColt005-007_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kid Colt 7<i> (Nov 1949) was the first to break away from the formula of the first few issues, sporting a Russ Heath cover and a book-length Kid Colt story by Hart and Heath.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Judging from the job numbers, issues 5-8 of <i>Kid Colt Outlaw </i>were using up Ernie Hart/Russ Heath inventory stories and Syd Shores covers from the earlier 1948 run, though the frequency was a bit haphazard, with an inexplicable four-month gap between issues 6 and 7, then finally settling down to a bi-monthly frequency with issue 12.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86YFbPMOoDILPoXKX8yCGdgmJdVjESDE2LsNwtzJtJa8Is-23eevVSD-xMLpJCH_ssh3oTQmGXdfV5y8-EhBXVRBuG8_ZheNFIdKwvrfycyI2fe1uLdze5mYbsdotITN3n7aNHeTDV57W9-BaD2dRYtlI4vFW2H3ZIXaT9R00TXGWsRhlQUORU7gcOJl3/s3177/KidColt004_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="3177" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86YFbPMOoDILPoXKX8yCGdgmJdVjESDE2LsNwtzJtJa8Is-23eevVSD-xMLpJCH_ssh3oTQmGXdfV5y8-EhBXVRBuG8_ZheNFIdKwvrfycyI2fe1uLdze5mYbsdotITN3n7aNHeTDV57W9-BaD2dRYtlI4vFW2H3ZIXaT9R00TXGWsRhlQUORU7gcOJl3/w400-h191/KidColt004_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>One other interesting thing I found in </i>Kid Colt 4<i> was an anti-Wertham editorial, presumably written by Stan Lee, in which "The Editors" of the "Marvel Comic Group" take issue with the Wertham's anti-comics campaign a full five years before the Kefauver hearings of 1953. <b>Click image to enlarge.</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The stories mostly had Kid Colt foiling schemes to take over ranches by crooked sheriffs and other unsavoury characters (well, it <i>is</i> a cowboy series). One notable exception was the tale "Fight or Crawl, Outlaw" in Kid Colt Outlaw 4 (Feb 1949) which had the Kid forced to take the place of a fighter in a boxing match, by Ernie Hart and Russ Heath. Curiously, an almost identical story had been published a few months earlier, "Death in the Ring" in <i>Two-Gun Kid 3</i> (Aug 1948), drawn by Syd Shores. The scripter remains unidentified, but there's a good chance it's Ernie Hart - unless Stan Lee wrote the original and asked Hart to rework it for the Kid Colt story. Another Kid Colt trope was the tale in which The Kid encounters a youngster who wants to be an outlaw, for example "The Man from Nowhere" in <i>Kid Colt 9</i>. Then Kid Colt has the task of convincing them that the life of an outlaw is anything but glamorous. The Kid would encounter many, many rannies like this during his long run.</p><p>One odd story in <i>Kid Colt 4</i> involved the Kid meeting a giant - the grandson of Paul Bunyon - in a rare fantasy-tinged tale. Pencilled by Mike Sekowsky, the scripter is unknown, though it does use fantasy tropes that wouldn't be out of place in a Stan Lee script.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxyJWOsuxg4lYthUxEHcqWhj_1kK1LOVAuHOzDQWzkPX-FrOGbN7zuVbr_7Fvfe4FNSAC94v74rNtkotM2L2pbmWwalc1H6SE-0QHHmDxsJCbAK63vpgAoptKhF6-vSXihVWjCZX8T2TCngyO_VxLOkR8IGpezw2Rk8_m1aMD4fDS3lGFiN6mDDFN2rra/s2594/KidColt007_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="2594" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxyJWOsuxg4lYthUxEHcqWhj_1kK1LOVAuHOzDQWzkPX-FrOGbN7zuVbr_7Fvfe4FNSAC94v74rNtkotM2L2pbmWwalc1H6SE-0QHHmDxsJCbAK63vpgAoptKhF6-vSXihVWjCZX8T2TCngyO_VxLOkR8IGpezw2Rk8_m1aMD4fDS3lGFiN6mDDFN2rra/w400-h148/KidColt007_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I've mashed up some of the pages of </i>Kid Colt 7<i> here to give a sense of the scope of the tale, with The Kid transported to New York at one point to investigate the source of The Brain's wealth. <b>Click image to enlarge.</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>One stand-out issue of the earliest <i>Kid Colt</i>s was 7 (Nov 1949). The epic 18-page story, "Trapped Between Two Fires", had The Kid battle a ruthless Wall Street financier, The Brain, who decides to take over swathes of the West and set himself up as an absolute monarch, with an actual medieval castle. We also see the Kid travel to New York to take out The Brain's investment company that's funding his mad schemes - though I had to wonder why all the shooting didn't bring the NYPD down on The Kid. We wouldn't see its like again, and I can only surmise that editor Stan Lee experimented with this book-length format and abandoned it until it was revived with <i>Fantastic Four 1</i> (Nov 1961). </p>
<p><i>Kid Colt 9</i> (May 1950) featured some early Marvel work by the great Joe Maneely. Maneely, had started drawing for Stan Lee's titles the preceeding month, focussing mainly on western titles like <i>Western Outlaws and Sheriffs</i> and <i>Whip Wilson</i> ... and contributed art for another epic-length tale in <i>Black Rider 8</i> (Mar 1950).</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfWlAbMK4jCLJHw7QU4gUKhcTqi8wJnO5uFjBUmNUmNQXkprtOIGjkE9fFC7Nvq2Ja1TBNXaIfTJlbi6rzCXYLeIZSCr6NuvKPPCFuJnRVa1WDY9TCkoQUccLhk8Kt60KK0beMeMHfKRULQJ5ppfPRZjgSnVnn8C6PtMypuyPwYjJV8q9p_tjKVem464A/s1251/KidColt_Maneely_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="1251" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfWlAbMK4jCLJHw7QU4gUKhcTqi8wJnO5uFjBUmNUmNQXkprtOIGjkE9fFC7Nvq2Ja1TBNXaIfTJlbi6rzCXYLeIZSCr6NuvKPPCFuJnRVa1WDY9TCkoQUccLhk8Kt60KK0beMeMHfKRULQJ5ppfPRZjgSnVnn8C6PtMypuyPwYjJV8q9p_tjKVem464A/w400-h185/KidColt_Maneely_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Joe Maneely contributed many great covers to the </i>Kid Colt<i> series, though rarely drew any of the interior art. His bold, powerful designs made him a natural cover artist and he drew more Atlas covers than any of Stan Lee's other artists.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Maneely rapidly became Stan Lee's go-to guy for covers and over the next seven years contributed hundreds of covers to Atlas titles and dozens to <i>Kid Colt Outlaw</i>, including 10, 11, 12, 16, 20, 21, 40, 41, 42, 43, 47, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 60, 61, 65, 67, 68, 69, 71, 73, 75-79, 80 and 81. Jack Kirby's first cover for the title was <i>Kid Colt Outlaw 83</i> (Mar 1959)</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXfhusbtKzD5c1a_AdNAmx7ShmDFZcPzNBhq_-mHN1g-FYw7veru_SurePRSScQjUBCmTOVioo5u2FMIiOGFSIbPy7nX_jlLFdH5eFNNeDG5TSBfojB0r2dj3NtyrA0py5BbV-4hWPk6BWwd1MD_4xdNidlaWtwWpAGMeLtTqkbJG9KGyuy9L22b4ZdtH/s1800/KidColt011_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1800" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXfhusbtKzD5c1a_AdNAmx7ShmDFZcPzNBhq_-mHN1g-FYw7veru_SurePRSScQjUBCmTOVioo5u2FMIiOGFSIbPy7nX_jlLFdH5eFNNeDG5TSBfojB0r2dj3NtyrA0py5BbV-4hWPk6BWwd1MD_4xdNidlaWtwWpAGMeLtTqkbJG9KGyuy9L22b4ZdtH/w400-h193/KidColt011_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It seems odd to retell Kid Colt's origin story so soon after his first appearance, but I guess editor Stan Lee must've had his reasons. The second Kid Colt story also allows for a character to give a speech about how The Kid has never been known to steal and has only ever gunned down those who later proved to be murderers themselves.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Kid Colt 11</i> (Oct 1950) was something of a reset issue. It presented a newly-drawn version of the "origin" story from issue 1 after little over two years, and a back-up story, "Captured by the Comanches", where an old timer sets an obsessed lawman straight on exactly the kind of man Kid Colt is ... and even though an earlier story established Kid Colt as an ally of the Comanche, in this tale he's at odds with them.</p>
<p>From <i>Kid Colt 9</i>, the old team of Ernie Hart and Russ Heath gradually gave way to scripter Leon Lazarus and artist Pete Tumlinson. </p><p>Lazarus worked mainly on Atlas western titles until the mid-1950s. He had started at Timely as a letterer, then moved into script-writing, joining the Timely staff as an assistant editor under Don Rico. When Rico (and fellow editor Ernie Hart) left the company at the end of the 1940s, Lazarus became Al Jaffee's assistant. One of the writers overseen by Lazarus was Patricia Highsmith, who would later go on to a stellar career as a novelist. Lazarus lost his staff job in January 1950, when publisher Martin Goodman decided that it was cheaper to use only freelance talent, though Lazarus continued to freelance for the company. Gradually, he transitioned away from comics to work almost exclusively for Goodman's "slick" magazines. In 1965, he made a brief return to Marvel Comics, scripting a single Giant-Man story in <i>Tales to Astonish 64</i> (Feb 1965). As he explained to the fanzine <i>Alter Ego</i>: </p><p>"[Goodman] wasn't sold on [the Marvel Method] of doing stories [in which writers would supply artists with a plot synopsis, rather than full script, allowing artists to tell the story's visual narrative with their own pacing and details]. He became concerned that Stan would have too much leverage over him, and he worried about what would happen if Stan ever decided to leave the company. Goodman wanted other writers as a back-up in case he needed them, so he ordered Stan to use other writers ... Goodman told Stan to, 'Have Leon write stories.' Stan called me and up and asked if I was willing to come in and work there again. ... I didn't want to say 'no' because I was working for Goodman's men's magazines, and didn't want to lose the account. I only did this one story, because I wasn't comfortable with the way Stan wanted writers to work with the artists, though I see now how right he was."</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTG2HS8Gd4z6VvkLp5VP_ybBbk2NlNfW9ASnigmboUL40nS5e8V52cRYwAgnRTcSQEF3erp5ZhtmGrie-YibK_7HJxmMdQPkeBgKzF5sExeBLnuH1yst61KaOi8tdbG9M8sqDkQyH_JH3mAEr7ylUn6XlHs1sRXUzwP-_YqDbnCFlr2q0tVnTmWI2g41Wz/s358/Leon_Lazarus.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="246" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTG2HS8Gd4z6VvkLp5VP_ybBbk2NlNfW9ASnigmboUL40nS5e8V52cRYwAgnRTcSQEF3erp5ZhtmGrie-YibK_7HJxmMdQPkeBgKzF5sExeBLnuH1yst61KaOi8tdbG9M8sqDkQyH_JH3mAEr7ylUn6XlHs1sRXUzwP-_YqDbnCFlr2q0tVnTmWI2g41Wz/s320/Leon_Lazarus.png" width="220" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Leon Lazarus: 22 August 1919 - 28 November 2008.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Howard Peter Tumlinson started selling artwork to Timely in 1949 and quickly became a frequent contributor to the western titles, drawing Kid Colt's appearances in his own magazine and in the back-up stories in <i>Wild Western</i>. Towards the mid-1950s Tumlinson also drew quite a few horror stories for Atlas, but dropped out of comics around that time to concentrate on book illustration.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7o1LCpzfNSeAL9TS_3RtPODXLsmJOu-tNc5-wIxL02jbiqzEArIhE0TU9Bv3b3a9ZPqtl8Xsci5d5rEoWN0VDUAVV-RRHYf3Z_OQkqx1P9RcQSYKmT7aTZok4QygxkCWWw6NbdkPIdFL-PMyldYDfj6ls09u4drL2-eb3Lp6LuyBQGLUCHmsYoD99eAY/s404/pete-tumlinson.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7o1LCpzfNSeAL9TS_3RtPODXLsmJOu-tNc5-wIxL02jbiqzEArIhE0TU9Bv3b3a9ZPqtl8Xsci5d5rEoWN0VDUAVV-RRHYf3Z_OQkqx1P9RcQSYKmT7aTZok4QygxkCWWw6NbdkPIdFL-PMyldYDfj6ls09u4drL2-eb3Lp6LuyBQGLUCHmsYoD99eAY/s320/pete-tumlinson.jpeg" width="215" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pete Tumlison: 2 June 1920 - 5 June 2008.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Lazarus and Tumlinson worked on <i>Kid Colt</i> until issue 24 (Jan 1953), when long time artist Jack Keller took over for an unprecedented 109-issue run, from <i>Kid Colt 25</i> (Mar 1953) to 133 (Mar 1967).</p>
<p>The tone and content of the Lazarus/Tumlinson stories weren't a lot different to the Ernie Hart/Russ Heath ones. The Kid continued his travels around the west, thwarting crooked sheriffs, busting up gangs of rustlers and making hero-worshipping teenagers hate him.</p>
<p>With <i>Kid Colt 25</i> (Mar 1953), the legendary Jack Keller took over as artist, though Lazarus would continue as scripter until <i>Kid Colt 31</i> (Oct 1953) so, unsurprisingly the tone of the stories didn't really change.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNoDms5aYVrB53ccSNMfbzPz-71b0Ymu6MN1u4fCJLTZ8oHk6-9qmkXHw5R2SQkacdH6fAf-HavPVjxzSsMaVzFpSeDjOFx0Q612hJANR5e_JBhIiBxIAuQFZTWMLFukDIiA6wR_5fdQHayuforRiSUbwB-Ny7x0MVJmM2so7JMG_sGPsqjSrbSy8S3ck/s1200/KidColt_backshots.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="1200" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNoDms5aYVrB53ccSNMfbzPz-71b0Ymu6MN1u4fCJLTZ8oHk6-9qmkXHw5R2SQkacdH6fAf-HavPVjxzSsMaVzFpSeDjOFx0Q612hJANR5e_JBhIiBxIAuQFZTWMLFukDIiA6wR_5fdQHayuforRiSUbwB-Ny7x0MVJmM2so7JMG_sGPsqjSrbSy8S3ck/w400-h122/KidColt_backshots.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Three occasions in the first 24 issues of </i>Kid Colt Outlaw<i> where The Kid has shot a fleeing villain in the back - not really cricket, is it?</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>What struck me during this period was just how ruthless Kid Colt was. Even though he was battling bad guys - and he himself was really only an outlaw due to a series of misunderstandings - The Kid would routinely shoot an escaping baddy in the back. In fact, in the first 24 issues of his mag Kid Colt killed 197 opponents by gunshot. And this doesn't count the other bad guys he despatched by knife, hurling from a height or, on two memorable occasions, causing the villains to blunder into a noose intended for The Kid.</p><p>So, although I'm not fan of censorship, I can see why some authorities might have some valid objections to some of the action in some comics of the period. And bear in mind there were other companies that published much more extreme material than Atlas/Marvel. We know that Frederic Wertham was campaigning against comics as early as 1948, when <i>Kid Colt Hero of the West 1</i> debuted. So rather than rein in the killings, Marvel hired a psychiatrist to endorse the comics. From <i>Kid Colt 2</i> (Oct 1948) to issue <i>9</i> (May 1950), there was a sign-off from "Jean Thompson, MD, Psychiatrist" of the New York Board of Education.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjVgTviuydE6LKI_SckQR4wpEwCZ6pynxpFuYLa985xSJCpV7sh999GTvvsMWK5xTQcy5VEC6mC3dSvS5NAaoulCAvB8Fk0j6QNJ-scE06oH2q6m4a3Mm3akr8JKBCqs1cVJT-vbZDKRFDODpP7Uv3IICCrfLvKiiVypZ-Xt0nmXj0nYwYk8bqfzxXmxT/s928/KidColt002_pg01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjVgTviuydE6LKI_SckQR4wpEwCZ6pynxpFuYLa985xSJCpV7sh999GTvvsMWK5xTQcy5VEC6mC3dSvS5NAaoulCAvB8Fk0j6QNJ-scE06oH2q6m4a3Mm3akr8JKBCqs1cVJT-vbZDKRFDODpP7Uv3IICCrfLvKiiVypZ-Xt0nmXj0nYwYk8bqfzxXmxT/s320/KidColt002_pg01.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>For a period, all Timely/Marvel comics carried an endorsement from Dr Jean Thompson of the New York Board of Education.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>From <i>Kid Colt 32</i> (Dec 1953) onwards, there would be a softening of the violence. The Kid would more regularly shoot the guns out of his opponents' hands rather than drilling villains through the heart. This might well have been because by the time that issue was going to press the <a href="https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2022/10/the-senate-comic-book-hearings-of-1954/">Kefauver Hearings on juvenile delinquency</a> would have been in full swing, and comics publishers deemed it wise to tone down the ultra violence. At the same time, Leon Lazarus was out as scripter - which may or may not have had something to do with the inherent violence in his stories - and another Timely veteran, Joe Gill, was in. Gill's WIKIpedia entry suggests he left Marvel for Charlton in 1948, but that doesn't appear to be the case. It seems that Gill may have left comics for a period, but soon fetched up at Marvel <i>and</i> Charlton in 1953, starting with a story in <i>Kid Colt 30</i> (Sep 1953). Gill would write strips for Marvel in all kinds of genres, but as the 1950s wore on, he contributed fewer and fewer stories to Marvel and more an more to Charlton. Nonetheless, he continued writing <i>Kid Colt Outlaw</i> right up to the Great Atlas Implosion of 1957, after which the scripting was taken over by Stan Lee.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn2vO0BNBSiaQyRXTBLXxXk9BEZZb48BrV9InP_W1r3hQmwHzGTUTZGzkxjov6O6cPP64VxTmvICJ0-yZCuR-5Y2QZS8i0BY6pAmRPL98SFxB8bzEZAknFcmowMj5JjYgg1ybq2ALk-Osd3a3K-5v3p9f_HyMPsE1FkQ8hpOCpt6mlKDGMooTYMCTx_2w/s296/Joe_Gill_1940s.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="220" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn2vO0BNBSiaQyRXTBLXxXk9BEZZb48BrV9InP_W1r3hQmwHzGTUTZGzkxjov6O6cPP64VxTmvICJ0-yZCuR-5Y2QZS8i0BY6pAmRPL98SFxB8bzEZAknFcmowMj5JjYgg1ybq2ALk-Osd3a3K-5v3p9f_HyMPsE1FkQ8hpOCpt6mlKDGMooTYMCTx_2w/s1600/Joe_Gill_1940s.jpeg" width="220" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Joe Gill: 13 July 1919 - 17 December 2006.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>So if we look at the next 24 issues of <i>Kid Colt Outlaw</i> - which takes us to the beginning of the Comics Code Approved issues of the title - there's quite a drop in the body count, where The Kid only kills 157 opponents by gunshot. And by the time we get to issue 50, just five issues into the era of the Comics Code, the body count had dropped to zero.</p><p>It's hard to attribute the toning down of the violence to any one thing. Probably the Senate Hearings and the resultant introduction of the comics Code was a big factor, but Joe Gill's scripts may also have been a bit less kill-happy by choice. And the third factor is that with the arrival of Jack Keller as artist, The Kid seems to make far more disarming shots than kill-shots.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">WHO THE HECK IS JACK KELLER?</h3>
<p>Jack R. Keller was born on 16 June 1922 in Reading, Pennsylvania. On graduating from West Reading High School Keller starting looking for work as an illustrator and in 1941 his creation The Whistler appeared in Dell's <i>War Stories 5</i>, published mid-1942. From there Keller landed assignments for Quality Comics on <i>Blackhawk</i>, and doing backgrounds on <i>The Spirit</i> while Will Eisner was in the army. </p>
<p>"While I was still working for Quality Comics I took some work around to Fawcett and got a strip called Johnny Blair in the Air," Keller said in a 1972 interview. "It was a filler for <i>Captain Midnight</i>’s comic book and was an airplane strip about the Civil Air Patrol. So I did that and I also got some work from Fiction House [<i>Wings Comics 46</i> (Jun 1944) to <i>66</i> (Feb 1946)]. I was very much influenced by air war which was quite a thing of the time. I illustrated Suicide Smith and Clipper Kirk. Clipper was a naval pilot and he was always on an aircraft carrier. Every time he cracked up he fell into the arms of a beautiful girl. It was always the same script every time! Suicide Smith was pretty similar only he was a marine pilot. After the war the army and navy stories disappeared and crime stories were starting to pick up. I did some work for Biro and Wood on <i>Crime Does Not Pay</i>. I also did some work for Hillman Publications including a strip called The Rosebud Sisters. It was about two elderly ladles, a takeoff of <i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i>, that got into all kinds of curious situations. So I worked on those strips and then it seemed that detective stories were fading a bit and around '48 and '49 I also did some work for a parochial school magazine called <i>Topics</i>. It contained comic strips that would tell the lives of priests and various types of heroes."</p>
<p>In 1950, Keller took a staff job in the Timely/Marvel bullpen, and began churning out horror and crime stories for Martin Goodman's very hungry comics line.</p><p>After a couple of years Keller was drawing western titles for Atlas/Marvel, at first on <i>Wild Western</i>, but then really found his niche as the permanent artist for <i>Kid Colt Outlaw</i>, where he would continue for the next 15 years, the longest run by an artist on any Marvel character.</p>
<p>Though never as distinctive as contemporaries John Severin or Bill Everett, Keller's work was solid, with bold figurework and deft storytelling. Looking at Keller's 1950s output now, I'm reminded at times of the Simon and Kirby work of the same period. Stan Lee must have thought so too, because not even during the early 1960s did Stan feel the need to have Jack Kirby draw a few Kid Colts to "course-correct" Keller. </p><p>After the Atlas Implosion, Keller supplemented his income by working in the auto trade as a salesman, then began drawing for Charlton, notably on the popular racing car comics of the time, like <i>Hotrod Racers</i> and <i>Teenage Hotrodders</i>.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MFF9uvAWelHF8Gqzs44dyH-sMgF6ftyWKiXMG7nePQWM8EVggGMBOTTLNEAHHbaBODyADgrkL6wmN_S05v1ZldCB08l0AZnAZej90V3QNtQ912FM3aqgErXHhqQGOs0HoX5d3yqjbmNNJMVUYW-Vfd4px8s0RXoXQSL5YOuWOVwt6qpbNi7ztgxi1EYX/s1291/KellerCharlton_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1291" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MFF9uvAWelHF8Gqzs44dyH-sMgF6ftyWKiXMG7nePQWM8EVggGMBOTTLNEAHHbaBODyADgrkL6wmN_S05v1ZldCB08l0AZnAZej90V3QNtQ912FM3aqgErXHhqQGOs0HoX5d3yqjbmNNJMVUYW-Vfd4px8s0RXoXQSL5YOuWOVwt6qpbNi7ztgxi1EYX/w400-h181/KellerCharlton_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Though Keller was drawing a few westerns for Charlton during his stretch there, it was the race-car comics that he enjoyed drawing the most.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>"I was getting very wrapped up with automobile illustration," Keller told fan John Mozzer in 1972. "The racing stories that I was producing for Charlton were progressing quite nicely. Dick Giordano, who was editor at the time, offered me a very nice package if I would go exclusively with Charlton and forsake my duties with Marvel. So, after telling Stan Lee about this he gave me a counter offer to go with Marvel exclusively. I pondered the question quite a bit because they both had been excellent people to work for. I like Stan Lee very much and I also enjoyed Dick Giordano’s company. I finally decided on going with Charlton for the simple reason that the subject matter was more appealing to me. That was the sole reason. Actually, financially. Stan Lee’s offer was superior. so it was a matter of illustrating what I liked best and at that time it was auto racing."</p>
<p>By the early 1970s, Jack Keller had largely given up drawing comics and had returned to the auto retail business. He died in 2003, and was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Reifften, Pennsylvania.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCTlglKG9vvgtRJPUmi1d4kT7b3BtRbMxP_NSQgK34IEVdVys2-7iGi4t8785eYiNTHaRy40A3d0Aj8baZhLTtOzvlHd2WciLOw7xOsoaV7IXjj9ccysTSc5W5fHCN8H7yOVeOeLTigBuz248dInYKc8NlV1Sh2VADJxPFrjJzxUEK6gTvN_IZZHlrGbu/s1144/Jack_Keller.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCTlglKG9vvgtRJPUmi1d4kT7b3BtRbMxP_NSQgK34IEVdVys2-7iGi4t8785eYiNTHaRy40A3d0Aj8baZhLTtOzvlHd2WciLOw7xOsoaV7IXjj9ccysTSc5W5fHCN8H7yOVeOeLTigBuz248dInYKc8NlV1Sh2VADJxPFrjJzxUEK6gTvN_IZZHlrGbu/s320/Jack_Keller.jpeg" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jack Keller: 16 June 1922 - 2 January 2003.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">BACK TO KID COLT</h3>
<p>One thing I particularly noticed about Jack Keller's style of storytelling was that traditionally, the first page of any story in a multi-story comic would usually depict an eye-grabbing scene from somewhere in the narrative. Pretty quickly after Keller taking charge of the illustration, the first page of the Kid Colt stories would actually have the splash page as the first scene in the story. I had always thought that this had been a Jack Kirby innovation that he'd introduced with the 1960s <i>Fantastic Four</i> comics ... but no.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiSCIdiRNYA3f3qpC8ukfcBZzZv4gtYA6hL_MCHehaUdXZqNna98Vb0iEfJp_x_cn5B0eQPYfBlrF9VFXe8kHGb_04dcULJCL4PQ2CKtM0wQwDhHJ19_clS7Xcws_9u3OjPqW2Oo32AX_U_URNL5aXdKpCmysGfebX7zz37j3gMM0wIh9ypzAQPu_Q0rk/s1800/KidColt024-26_splashes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1800" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiSCIdiRNYA3f3qpC8ukfcBZzZv4gtYA6hL_MCHehaUdXZqNna98Vb0iEfJp_x_cn5B0eQPYfBlrF9VFXe8kHGb_04dcULJCL4PQ2CKtM0wQwDhHJ19_clS7Xcws_9u3OjPqW2Oo32AX_U_URNL5aXdKpCmysGfebX7zz37j3gMM0wIh9ypzAQPu_Q0rk/w400-h181/KidColt024-26_splashes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Successive splash pages from </i>Kid Colt 24, 25 <i>and</i> 26<i>: All this time I'd thought it was Jack Kirby who invented the idea of making the first splash page of a story the opening scene rather than a "mini-cover" highlighting the most interesting scene in the strip ... but turns out it was Jack Keller.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Something else I noticed about Joe Gill's Kid Colt scripts was that there were fewer instances of recycling the same old story tropes. The only two that Gill returned to a few times were the tried and trusted "Youngster wants to be outlaw and the Kid dissuades him" (six times!) and the less trusty "Kid Colt convinces the lawman chasing him that he's decent type after all" (just three instances). Larry Lazarus also used these cliches, but also enjoyed "The Kid breaks out of jail to catch the real villains" and "Kid Colt is tortured by indians".</p>
<p>After the departure of Joe Gill in late 1957, Stan Lee became the regular scripter on <i>Kid Colt Outlaw</i>, with issue 77. Though not the most reliable indicator of actual sales, the Publisher's Statement of Ownership information for 1960 has <i>Kid Colt</i> as the third best-selling Marvel Comic after <i>Tales to Astonish</i> and <i>Tales of Suspense</i> at an average 144,746 copies a month. Which is why Stan may have been reluctant to quit scripting the western and teen titles even as the super-hero books were burgeoning, preferring instead to hand over writing chores on <i>Astonish</i>, <i>Suspense</i>, <i>Journey into Mystery</i> and <i>Strange Tales</i> to Ernie Hart, Robert Bernstein and Jerry Siegel.</p>
<p>Under Stan's scripting, it was pretty much business as usual, but with just a little touch of humour. Stan would continue using the same tropes that had made the Marvel cowboys among the best-selling titles of the period, warning the occasional wayward youngster away from the outlaw life and changing lawmen's opinion of him - most of the time.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOKwvO-UsBjf4hvWmTHLXlU1npngGMxpCzKqdt2dLWHutmaXWyAGAuP-hhIUBirJ8FxjSFVEtheb9-PMCIHem66ZFMZAb1RypQqAVDlUj6rcNF8IdGF2VpOFlHyT0Z5uymb2Js45JB_QR7h1sB0fZ8xzpKarz0qbePqA8R8B1Y_hdPPeXFEafXo8pYrhJ/s2100/KidColt083-89_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="2100" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOKwvO-UsBjf4hvWmTHLXlU1npngGMxpCzKqdt2dLWHutmaXWyAGAuP-hhIUBirJ8FxjSFVEtheb9-PMCIHem66ZFMZAb1RypQqAVDlUj6rcNF8IdGF2VpOFlHyT0Z5uymb2Js45JB_QR7h1sB0fZ8xzpKarz0qbePqA8R8B1Y_hdPPeXFEafXo8pYrhJ/w400-h190/KidColt083-89_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stan Lee's first dozen or so </i>Kid Colt<i>s pretty much followed the style of Joe Gill's stories, with a dash more pep and humour. Stan also made sure he had Jack Kirby on cover art, to ensure the continued high sales of the title.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Stan also got Keller an inker ... quite why he did that I'm not sure. Maybe it was to free Keller up to take on more Charlton work, but artwork does take a noticeable upturn at this point due to the polished enhancements veteran Christopher Rule brought to the artwork.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpdc0OCt1cq4A-sr_yCbiC5LxjPNcMJF5YmEN-kXG4JkV2UD_Gl9B8PrsGjCcWBDKKE_9EcEzc9UomDfxwz24QsWLohg9cEnOn7Tz0lAImqP2Giupzr8kRgFjq7ZY7BN1SsEcfESAmPFwBSLZeigMeYwKuxshjH_eqmzKXrkQZEfi0xUwGaiGXgLCHZF-/s1400/KidColt078_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1400" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpdc0OCt1cq4A-sr_yCbiC5LxjPNcMJF5YmEN-kXG4JkV2UD_Gl9B8PrsGjCcWBDKKE_9EcEzc9UomDfxwz24QsWLohg9cEnOn7Tz0lAImqP2Giupzr8kRgFjq7ZY7BN1SsEcfESAmPFwBSLZeigMeYwKuxshjH_eqmzKXrkQZEfi0xUwGaiGXgLCHZF-/w400-h284/KidColt078_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In a first for Kid Colt, Stan Lee introduced an ongoing nemesis for The Kid, Marshal Sam Hawk, the most ruthless and dedicated lawman in the west. The character would appear in at least three more Kid Colt stories.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Another innovation Stan made was to introduce an ongoing antagonist for Kid Colt. Marshal Sam Hawk was a no-nonsense lawman, who would uphold the law rather than justice. A bit like an early version of Judge Dredd. Sam Hawk would go on to appear in <i>Kid Colt 80, 84</i> and <i>Gunsmoke Western 60</i> (Sep 1960), then <i>Kid Colt 98</i> (May 1961) and <i>101</i> (Nov 1961), then again in <i>Kid Colt 121</i> (Mar 1965). I don't think The Kid ever did change Hawk's mind about him.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfIwGFyk83YXBhpr31GWPJzqzcVrM6BST_6cfy6RcenVJom6pqp6sF7uUiNevPNX_mCRQfyZf5TJQRtDNUpuBCyZTRSj-cX5U3IN2ufZ6DGzQKRUcSg3p-0xj-fBFnPNC1oJHE6EkNGifI2XrKDpoWgsK3LiDJik37KJv95o58xAdg4w5qNGLvcm7jcO7/s1800/KidColt079_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1800" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfIwGFyk83YXBhpr31GWPJzqzcVrM6BST_6cfy6RcenVJom6pqp6sF7uUiNevPNX_mCRQfyZf5TJQRtDNUpuBCyZTRSj-cX5U3IN2ufZ6DGzQKRUcSg3p-0xj-fBFnPNC1oJHE6EkNGifI2XrKDpoWgsK3LiDJik37KJv95o58xAdg4w5qNGLvcm7jcO7/w400-h186/KidColt079_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stan must've figured it was time to remind readers how a good young cowboy like Kid Colt came to be an outlaw ... though this time the villain was a local gang leader (still named "Lash Laribee", though) instead of a corrupt sheriff who wanted the Colt ranch.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>In <i>Kid Colt 79</i> (Jul 1958), Stan and Jack Keller did a retelling of the origin, but this time changing the villain from a corrupt lawman to a local thug. The first origin story was set in the town of Purgatory, whereas Stan's retelling is set in Abilene. This was an old choice because on several occasions during the series, by-standers have remarked that they recognise The Kid because they saw him in a shootout in Abilene, so by re-tooling Purgatory as Abilene, Stan has retroactively had Kid Colt repeatedly returning to the scene of his father's murder for further gun-duels. It also suggests that Stan didn't bother reading over the file copies of <i>Kid Colt</i> before he took over the scripting. Perhaps he figured no one would care.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArfG-J7jPAUHEUd1EEUq7qlqkBC6j-PQ-jilap4YWnCyMTLMYnogNBNDGyQuhhK0AWi9DvA0P9MxwB5f7t_t-zo5sztk-JDE78dbS1Bg6LQMHTTtzKh94HRVHVoXHWLZ5kPxYMDWtRF8ymmh-UvY2VfpsXhN_yp9foVVCVyKwD_-7Vrr7MGFrrv5qhU1R/s1201/KidColt085_pg01a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArfG-J7jPAUHEUd1EEUq7qlqkBC6j-PQ-jilap4YWnCyMTLMYnogNBNDGyQuhhK0AWi9DvA0P9MxwB5f7t_t-zo5sztk-JDE78dbS1Bg6LQMHTTtzKh94HRVHVoXHWLZ5kPxYMDWtRF8ymmh-UvY2VfpsXhN_yp9foVVCVyKwD_-7Vrr7MGFrrv5qhU1R/w266-h400/KidColt085_pg01a.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>For a man on the run from the law, that Kid Colt sure spends a lot of time in Abilene ... (<b>click image to enlarge</b>).</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Then with issue 89 it's as though Stan figured that as the fantasy titles were doing so well, he'd introduce some fantasy elements into the western titles. <i>Kid Colt 89</i> (Mar 1960) cover-featured a ghost and, although it turns out to be a gang of bandits impersonating a ghost, just as The Kid is at their mercy, an unseen <i>something</i> scares the wits out of them. The monster Warroo, in <i>Kid Colt 100</i> (Sep 1961), is just gunfighter Rack Morgan posing as a travelling magician and further moonlighting as a creature of native American legend. By contrast, the alien in <i>Kid Colt 107</i> (Nov 1962) is a genuine alien, stranded on Earth when his ship is damaged by a passing comet. The friendly creature is defended from some terrified townsfolk by The Kid, and is rescued by his fellow aliens at the end of the tale. I'm pretty sure this was Kid Colt's only brush with extraterrestrials.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTc6ZXsQw24TZ8BtkS0tUM-64b-tSMs5VJTFI4f2oMGCui75u7w1LIUg7KVDnk8-bifQYOeyNvlfMGQiz3N-8GUb8S104Yk4PoZ0SxIOithi3uW-pad_pUeErWDYUXF2gIBaZjxTw02pmIj0AYjQzitUfqzIWKDg4aDTUCQH418v3b67c3CIMl8UGj9IB/s2100/KidColt093-107_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="2100" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTc6ZXsQw24TZ8BtkS0tUM-64b-tSMs5VJTFI4f2oMGCui75u7w1LIUg7KVDnk8-bifQYOeyNvlfMGQiz3N-8GUb8S104Yk4PoZ0SxIOithi3uW-pad_pUeErWDYUXF2gIBaZjxTw02pmIj0AYjQzitUfqzIWKDg4aDTUCQH418v3b67c3CIMl8UGj9IB/w400-h190/KidColt093-107_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ghosts and monsters and aliens ... just some of the fantasy story elements that would haunt </i>Kid Colt<i> during the first year or two of the 1960s.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The other innovation Stan brought to the title was the concept of larger-than-life villains. Sometimes foreshadowing later villains of Marvel's various superheroes series, Kid Colt would face off against such colourful protagonists as Iron Mask (twice, in <i>Kid Colt 110</i> and <i>114</i>, May 1964 and Jan 1964), The Scorpion (<i>115</i>, Mar 1964), The Invisible Gunman (<i>116</i>, May 1964) and The Fat Man and his boomerang (<i>117</i>, Jul 1964) - all of these would be recycled as Marvel villains just a year or too later. And although I tend to be sceptical about most Marvel prototypes, the Fat Man character was very much a forerunner of The Kingpin, who would debut three years later in <i>Amazing Spider-Man 50</i> (Jul 1967). As one bystander in the Kid Colt story remarked ... "That ain't fat, that's solid muscle".</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFpo0V-gFtnkQZIEmapmrkVNvCUX7hAByX8PwWcplPs2TIAshgdlB4EEj3YGVeQyZqJkvUwhEMX9rmfqsGGHhn6tLfY4KX-a_eE-YzZbUUy9UE8YQAHStr_4l78DI4fijymK2YD0AZIEReXdt5nBNIVM8XUHhjXwPip96yG8_RL2JpqcVXQ_nKplop-V2/s2800/kidcolt110-117_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="2800" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFpo0V-gFtnkQZIEmapmrkVNvCUX7hAByX8PwWcplPs2TIAshgdlB4EEj3YGVeQyZqJkvUwhEMX9rmfqsGGHhn6tLfY4KX-a_eE-YzZbUUy9UE8YQAHStr_4l78DI4fijymK2YD0AZIEReXdt5nBNIVM8XUHhjXwPip96yG8_RL2JpqcVXQ_nKplop-V2/w400-h143/kidcolt110-117_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Story elements from the Marvel superhero titles began to crop up in the Kid Colt stories. Issue </i>109<i> (Mar 1963) also featured a pirate called the Barracuda, an idea that would later turn up in </i>Strange Tales 120<i> (May 1964).</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Kid Colt Outlaw 123</i> (Jul 1965) was the last issue to feature Stan Lee scripts and Jack Kirby covers ... and for me, this is where my interest in the title ended. Jack Keller would continue to pencil the interiors until <i>Kid Colt 130</i> (Sep 1966), when the format changed to 72-page giants for three issues, but when the title returned to 12 cents and 36 pages, the scripting was by Gary Friedrich or Denny O'Neill, and Herb Trimpe, Dick Ayers and Werner Roth variously provided the pencilling.</p><p>Even though overtaken in sales by <i>Rawhide Kid</i> in 1963, <i>Kid Colt Outlaw</i>'s run remains impressive. From 1948 to 1968 the title was one of Marvel's best-sellers. And even when the new material was replaced by reprint, the title continued for another 11 years, finally being cancelled with issue 229 (Apr 1979), an incredible 30 year run.</p>
<p>Though stories did get a bit samey - a familiar half dozen plots were dragged out and re-tooled on a too-regular basis - I still have real soft-spot for the Marvel westerns, particularly those scripted by Stan.</p>
<p>Next time, I'll take a look at my very favourite Marvel western character, which was essentially a revamp of a 1950s cowboy superhero.</p>
<p><b>Next: The Ghost Rider (no, the other one!)</b></p>
<p><br /></p>
<p><br /></p>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-5725973203909026992023-11-09T09:12:00.002-08:002023-11-10T00:28:28.734-08:00Marvel Comic Covers: Invasion of the Floating Heads<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I'VE LOOKED AT THE ARTISTIC QUIRKS</b> of Marvel Comics covers before in this blog. So here's another one for your collection ... Floating Heads.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, it's an odd one - pretty much exclusive to Marvel, I'd say. I'm hard-pressed to think of any examples at other companies ... though you, dear reader, might prove me mistaken. And of course, we were much more likely to see these on team books, where the artist had to squeeze a lot of characters into a very restricted space.</span></p>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uvQCUdSzI24/YHqZa9OPeHI/AAAAAAAAGTg/I8OyYw2YABkHJsq03hlTyoItKV3UDA15gCLcBGAsYHQ/s606/Avengers009_10-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uvQCUdSzI24/YHqZa9OPeHI/AAAAAAAAGTg/I8OyYw2YABkHJsq03hlTyoItKV3UDA15gCLcBGAsYHQ/w264-h400/Avengers009_10-64.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's a common problem. You only have so much space on the cover of a comic, but you need to fit in nine characters ... what are you going to do?</i></td></tr></tbody></table></span>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The first recorded example that I can discover was on the cover of <i>Avengers 9</i> (Oct 1964), which was drawn by Jack Kirby. And because of this, I think, many Marvel fans have assumed that the idea - which would become a bit of a Marvel trope - was Jack's idea. But I'm not so sure.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3nXSW1-mcM/YI-ezEul-WI/AAAAAAAAGVA/CyZOB4tq3BA4lphhYP0hbaYgxP4-eH8dwCLcBGAsYHQ/s840/FF025-26_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="840" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3nXSW1-mcM/YI-ezEul-WI/AAAAAAAAGVA/CyZOB4tq3BA4lphhYP0hbaYgxP4-eH8dwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h289/FF025-26_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>You know what it's like ... you have ten super-powered characters to fit in to a 7 x 10 comic cover, plus a teen sidekick and a shedload of blurb ... what're you gonna do?</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It certainly wasn't Jack's go-to solution for when he had to fit dozens of characters onto a comic cover. For example, one of the great cross-overs of the early Silver Age was the two-part Fantastic Four-Avengers bust-up in <i>FF 25</i> & <i>26</i> (Apr & May 1964) - eleven characters and never a floating head to be seen.</span>
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pCia3rBA4yY/YHqeOpYpziI/AAAAAAAAGTo/8_5DIc6dSGs3uXK9Jb9yiYxHUliUylUVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s604/FF028_07-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pCia3rBA4yY/YHqeOpYpziI/AAAAAAAAGTo/8_5DIc6dSGs3uXK9Jb9yiYxHUliUylUVgCLcBGAsYHQ/w265-h400/FF028_07-64.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's another trick to fit eleven characters into a standard-size comic book cover ... the metaphorical giant villain cover.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">A couple of months later, Jack had to accommodate the FF and the X-Men on the cover of <i>Fantastic Four 28</i> (Aug 1964). Did Jack reach for a cliche? Of course he didn't. One thing we know about Jack is that he didn't like to repeat himself. He took pride in coming up with new ideas for every situation. Here, he depicted the villain as a giant and the heroes as tiny ... not a concept that was supposed to be taken literally. <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2019/08/separated-at-birth-2-another-comic.html">I covered this particular artistic trick</a> in another blog entry a while back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">So, as we'll see, Jack didn't return to the Floating Heads idea very often. In fact after the first couple, most Floating Heads covers were by Other Hands. This makes me wonder if this wasn't a Stan Lee or possibly a Marty Goodman cover solution, both of whom had very firm - and sometimes fixed - ideas about what a cover should be.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Still, the next cover to feature floating heads would be another Jack Kirby effort.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--cZu-_YYG3Y/YIQeUjLPW7I/AAAAAAAAGT4/li2cS8rI5XcdkSGRXtfNHsYsHwE6eqsdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s593/FF041_08-65.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--cZu-_YYG3Y/YIQeUjLPW7I/AAAAAAAAGT4/li2cS8rI5XcdkSGRXtfNHsYsHwE6eqsdwCLcBGAsYHQ/w270-h400/FF041_08-65.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The composition is a little awkward, but I don't think it would have been any kind of improvement to place the Frightful heads at the top of the cover of </i>Fantastic Four 41<i>.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Okay, maybe the heads weren't quite floating on the cover of <i>FF 41</i> (Aug 1965), but it's only the tiniest variation on the theme. It does seem like a strange choice, however. The upper image - with the tortured figure of Ben Grimm towering over his team-mates - is the best part of the cover. The heads of the Frightful Four floating at the foot of the cover almost seems like an after-thought. If it's meant to convey the idea of the influence of the Wizard and his allies over The Thing, it's not working. Maybe it's just intended as a way to get the Frightful Four on the cover. It does accomplish that, at least.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBh0j1mWSH4/YIWFoIBptxI/AAAAAAAAGUg/inSERCkCRwINVOZbQI94YGANPDMIATZcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s601/Avengers019_08-65.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBh0j1mWSH4/YIWFoIBptxI/AAAAAAAAGUg/inSERCkCRwINVOZbQI94YGANPDMIATZcwCLcBGAsYHQ/w266-h400/Avengers019_08-65.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">The Swordsman would occupy a fairly important role in Marvel history, as Hawkeye's teacher and later a bona fide member of The Avengers. This is a powerful cover by Jack Kirby as befitting that role. I don't think the pasted-on heads compromise that in any way.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The very same month, <i>Avengers 19</i> (Aug 1965) sported a floating heads cover, this time with Kirby pencilling the figure of The Swordsman and the production department adding the Don Heck heads later ... it's a terrific issue, one of my favourites of these early Avengers. It's not recorded why Stan, or maybe Sol Brodsky, decided to add The Avengers to the sides of the cover. But I don't think it's a tragedy, just another instance of what was already starting to shape up as an overused trick.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Clearly not wanting to left out, DC Comics dipped a toe in the Floating Heads pool ... predictably enough on Justice League, another book with a large cast of characters. In this instance (and again the following year) cover artist Mike Sekowsky would use the trope to show readers all the characters involved in that year's Crisis cross-over, typically involving The Justice League, the Justice Society, and a complementary array of matching super-villains. But it wasn't a solution DC would use very often.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xx0HqKW_JOk/YI-nXfFmoWI/AAAAAAAAGVI/3rtv-kmNusc_WmlCZbxFOjA0zRg9BncqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s840/JLA038-47.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="840" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xx0HqKW_JOk/YI-nXfFmoWI/AAAAAAAAGVI/3rtv-kmNusc_WmlCZbxFOjA0zRg9BncqQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h284/JLA038-47.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>When you have a cast of 29 and not a great deal of space, then there's only really one way you can go ... </i>JLA 38<i> (Sep 1965) and </i>JLA 47<i> (Sep 1966).</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The next time we'd see disembodied heads on a Marvel cover, it would be the cover of <i>Journey into Mystery 123</i> (Dec 1965), which had Vince Colletta inking Jack's terrific pencil art, and gave us the supporting cast orbiting around a dynamic and powerful figure of Thor. Yet, when I came across a repro of the original art, it looks like Jack had nothing to do with the floating heads. These were almost certainly added during the production process, by Sol Brodsky and his team.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Q860hvFu6E/YJ5cyPPAvbI/AAAAAAAAGVY/HNyhfLdtcPw6nqzJvXPk3SgcVVzzG9nNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1099/JiM123_12-65_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1099" height="275" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Q860hvFu6E/YJ5cyPPAvbI/AAAAAAAAGVY/HNyhfLdtcPw6nqzJvXPk3SgcVVzzG9nNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h275/JiM123_12-65_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Here's the original artwork for </i>Journey into Mystery 123<i>'s cover, along with the finished version. I'd say that showed signs of production department tinkering ...</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Odin headshot is taken from the previous issue's cover. The Crusher Creel head is from <i>Journey into Mystery 122</i>'s splash page. The Loki head is taken from <i>Journey into Mystery 121</i> page 6. The image of the Demon is a bit of a puzzle. There's no drawing like that in any previous comics (or either of the next two issues the character appears in). Also, the detail of the mask isn't exactly how Kirby has drawn it inside the book. The inking of the Demon illo looks like Colletta, so my guess would be either Brodsky pencils and Colletta inks, or all Colletta.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">A few months later, we'd see another floating heads cover from Marvel. The credits for the <i>X-Men 18</i> (Mar 1966) cover are a matter for some debate. But most agree the layout was Jack Kirby, with Werner Roth either pencilling or altering Kirby's rough pencils.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGWgB8Gbdko/YIQh7i7v-cI/AAAAAAAAGUA/AEh7Kvu5itYHLynP3W6kONNsKy681h_nwCLcBGAsYHQ/s615/xm018_03-66.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGWgB8Gbdko/YIQh7i7v-cI/AAAAAAAAGUA/AEh7Kvu5itYHLynP3W6kONNsKy681h_nwCLcBGAsYHQ/w260-h400/xm018_03-66.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">The consensus is that Jack Pencilled the Magneto figure, Werner Roth pencilled the rest and the inking was Sol Brodsky, with perhaps Dick Ayers inking the Kirby parts. Whichever way it happened, it is a bit of a patchwork.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">With <i>Fantastic Four 50</i> (May 1966), Jack went all floating heads again. It's not a great cover layout, so there's a good chance there was a bit of editorial interference going on here. How much stronger would the cover have been with less clutter and the strong figure of the Surfer as the focus. I'm not mad about that inset panel at the bottom right, either. I think it would have been better as a text box, as I don't believe that drawing of Johnny Storm walking through a University campus adds anything.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rSVqb-30BKo/YIRJ6pFuFOI/AAAAAAAAGUY/0jKL9pJGoOw7Qipq2HBDb3UFWAHryq4SACLcBGAsYHQ/s598/FF050_05-66.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rSVqb-30BKo/YIRJ6pFuFOI/AAAAAAAAGUY/0jKL9pJGoOw7Qipq2HBDb3UFWAHryq4SACLcBGAsYHQ/w268-h400/FF050_05-66.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>This cover design could have used a little simplification, by losing at least one of the elements. My vote would be for deleting the inset panel at bottom right.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Later the same year, <i>X-Men 22</i> (Jul 1966) would sport a similar cover layout to that of issue 18, again by Roth but this time inked by Ayers. As far as I know, Kirby had no input. This one also folds in the trick of squeezing in extra characters by keeping them small, adding the trope of a metaphorically giant villain. As such, it ends up being a muddled conflation of ideas with no strong focal point.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSthSPh4cJM/YIQsVcSuiSI/AAAAAAAAGUI/_L1RM49w3mMaaOnAISWot5bMcf_EUeP0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/xm022_07-66.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSthSPh4cJM/YIQsVcSuiSI/AAAAAAAAGUI/_L1RM49w3mMaaOnAISWot5bMcf_EUeP0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w266-h400/xm022_07-66.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Werner Roth had been drawing romance books at DC when he jumped the fence to freelance for Marvel on </i>X-Men<i>. Action wasn't Roth's strong point and he later returned to DC to draw </i>Lois Lane.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It was a bit of a sore point with me ... these mid-1960s <i>X-Men</i> issues were among the weakest in the Marvel lineup. While Roy Thomas battled manfully with the scripting, the results were hampered by bland pencil art from Werner Roth. Roth would remain as an on-and-off penciller on <i>X-Men</i> until issue 55 (May 1969), both on the main strip and on the "Origins of the X-Men" back-up stories, but for occasional fill-ins by Dan Adkins, Don Heck and even Jim Steranko. Then, with Roth committing more and more of his time to DC, Stan hired Neal Adams and gave him <i>X-Men</i> to play with ...</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The same month, <i>Avengers 30</i> also sported a cover with vignetted heads, pencilled by Kirby and not a million miles away in design from his <i>Journey into Mystery 123</i> cover, with its powerful central figure of Goliath and the orbiting heads of the supporting cast.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U72fp9IjRiw/YIsH1pza9uI/AAAAAAAAGU4/IaqfWydRKqwyz4QMVpEOXe0dr6aQ8mdUACLcBGAsYHQ/s599/Avengers030_07-66.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U72fp9IjRiw/YIsH1pza9uI/AAAAAAAAGU4/IaqfWydRKqwyz4QMVpEOXe0dr6aQ8mdUACLcBGAsYHQ/w268-h400/Avengers030_07-66.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Pretty much identical in layout to </i>Avengers 20<i> and </i>Journey into Mystery 123<i>, </i>Avengers 30<i>'s cover has a literal giant and bunch of orbiting hero and villain heads.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The inking is by Frank Giacoia, whose work I always liked on Kirby, and most pundits agree that the figure under Goliath's arm was added in production by John Romita. It does have the look of an after-thought so that does seem plausible.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Meanwhile, a month after <i>X-Men 22</i>, Kirby turned in more floating heads for his cover for <i>Fantastic Four 54</i> (Sep 1966) ... or did he?</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xYBpu-dKmnQ/YJ58Klv-o8I/AAAAAAAAGVg/eDj4JnXeJzAX6XWMuU0k2qzHyZAODzzAACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/FF054_09-66_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1443" data-original-width="2048" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xYBpu-dKmnQ/YJ58Klv-o8I/AAAAAAAAGVg/eDj4JnXeJzAX6XWMuU0k2qzHyZAODzzAACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h281/FF054_09-66_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Other than the addition of a white frame device, this is no different to the cover of </i>Avengers 20<i> ... strong central heroic figure? Check. Rest of the cast as floating heads around the outside? Check. (Click on the image to expand - you can see the paste-up clearly.)</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">This one's a pretty good way of featuring a record twelve characters and still include an impactful Human Torch figure as the main focus. Only Medusa seems a bit awkwardly placed. When you look at the original artwork, you can see that once again, the heads were pasted on after Jack delivered his art ... as was the figure of The Torch. So it's likely that Kirby's original design was simply The Torch flying straight at the reader. The alterations would have been made at Stan's direction, I'd have thought. And what about Prester John, for me the most interesting character in this issue ... how come he didn't make the cover?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Marvel managed to go a few months without any floating heads anywhere, but it was <i>X-Men 29</i> (Feb 1967) that broke the run. And it looks like another production studio paste-up job.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oBG17wODH4I/YKo2o59l8GI/AAAAAAAAGVs/0SWK3PjI6zAZW3_ElCP-nnUIFtJCLMOFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s595/xm029_02-67.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oBG17wODH4I/YKo2o59l8GI/AAAAAAAAGVs/0SWK3PjI6zAZW3_ElCP-nnUIFtJCLMOFQCLcBGAsYHQ/w269-h400/xm029_02-67.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Did we really need the five heads down the left-hand side of the cover? The big red logo at the top of the cover tells us whose comic this is. And if that's not enough, there's the corner box. So editorial fussing winning out over common sense here ...</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's possible that penciller Werner Roth didn't turn in cover art that showed just The Mimic scrapping with the Super-Adaptoid, and that the Production department didn't say, "Hey ... where's the X-Men?" But I don't actually think so. The composition of the two combatants is too studied, and it seems unlikely that an experienced artist like Roth would have thrown the composition out by adding unnecessary heads to the side of the artwork. But like I say, I could be wrong.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">But the following month, on the cover of <i>Avengers 38</i> (Mar 1967), an experienced artist did exactly that. </span></p>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HSfPfi0aRbM/YKpP2SqpDyI/AAAAAAAAGV0/FIDF7auBbEYeZ4UK7IvJIlF-P1i3DciIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s595/Avengers038_03-67.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HSfPfi0aRbM/YKpP2SqpDyI/AAAAAAAAGV0/FIDF7auBbEYeZ4UK7IvJIlF-P1i3DciIwCLcBGAsYHQ/w269-h400/Avengers038_03-67.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm leaning towards a Kane-drawn alteration asked for by Stan Lee. The way the Enchantress is a cramped into the tiny space by the spine makes me think Kane moved the Hercules figure to the left to accommodate the floating heads.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Gil Kane had been working at DC - one of their star artists - for decades. Yet one of his earliest covers for Marvel used an artistic device that was never seen at DC. That struck me as a little odd. Whether the heads were added by the production team is not known, but they are certainly Kane-drawn heads so maybe, on this occasion, it was an editorial edict to the artist.</p></span>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Gil Kane was also involved in the next floating head cover from Marvel. the artwork for the cover of <i>X-Men 33</i> (Jun 1967) had a convoluted conception. The first version was done by Werner Roth, but was, in my opinion, a pretty poor job. That may not have been Werner's fault, of course. He may have been following a brief. But, certainly, editorial weren't happy with the result and assigned Gil Kane to create a new cover from scratch.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VgGPGBWRCnU/YKp8oH3gASI/AAAAAAAAGV8/5eZnQmE7UbkY2HrJrF2puoyvmhmK4pzLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1290/xm033_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1290" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VgGPGBWRCnU/YKp8oH3gASI/AAAAAAAAGV8/5eZnQmE7UbkY2HrJrF2puoyvmhmK4pzLgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h186/xm033_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The first version, by Roth, is a bit of a disaster. The Juggernaut figure is poor, and does nothing to maximise the threat. I think I would have rejected it too. The Kane replacement is much better. I wonder if it actually was rejected by the Code, or that Marvel editorial just </i>thought<i> it would be ...</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">But the replacement version - with its floating heads and growl-y close-up of the villain The Outcast - was deemed too scary by the Comics Code and Kane was forced to make alterations. The final version replaced The Outcast with The Juggernaut, and re-used the Marvel Girl and Cyclops heads from the initial Roth cover art. The Beast head looks like a Kane original to me. Others have suggested that the Juggernaut is by Roth with John Romita alterations or inking. I agree that The Juggernaut doesn't look much like Kane's work, but I would think that Romita would have done a better job of it. I think it's a production department cut and paste job.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Another incoming Marvel artist would bring the floating heads to his first cover. John Buscema was just starting at Marvel and got <i>The Avengers</i> as his first regular assignment.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HfQoa-7fbCA/YKqDFB0UytI/AAAAAAAAGWE/WbcCJKmTmEEV6-PPy-Zg6GmJ2r78_NzdACLcBGAsYHQ/s606/Avengers043_08-67.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HfQoa-7fbCA/YKqDFB0UytI/AAAAAAAAGWE/WbcCJKmTmEEV6-PPy-Zg6GmJ2r78_NzdACLcBGAsYHQ/w264-h400/Avengers043_08-67.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">One of my favourite Silver Age Avengers stories - it might seem a bit obvious in hindsight, but I loved the idea of a Soviet version of Captain America. And it didn't really bother me that most of the Avengers weren't really featured on the cover.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Once again, it looks like Marvel editorial got spooked when Buscema turned in a cover that showed only one regular Avenger on the cover, so either got Buscema to draw the heads of the other Avengers or they sourced and added them themselves.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">John Buscema has a history of redrawing artwork, often at the request of Stan Lee. Stan really liked his artists to lay stories out in the same way that Jack Kirby did, but Buscema often tried to take a different approach. Later, on <i>Silver Surfer 4</i> (Feb 1969), Buscema recounted, "I thought, 'This is one job I'm going to get away from the Kirby layouts. I'm going to try something different,' which I did. I think it had a different look about it from the previous stuff I'd been doing. People were congratulating me on this particular issue. Stan tore the book to pieces! He started with the first page: 'Well, okay, not bad.' On and on and on. Every second page he ripped to shreds. 'This is not good, this should be done this way...' I walked out of that damn office of his; I didn't know which way was up or down. I was completely demoralised. I walked into John Romita's office; John looked at me and saw that I was very upset. I said, 'John, how the hell do you do comics?'"</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">So given that account of not wanting to do things the way Marvel always did them, I'd have thought it would be pretty unlikely that the floating heads on <i>Avengers 43</i> would have been Buscema's idea.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7n7RYS4uI7Q/YK1aH1ysswI/AAAAAAAAGWM/jAtKF3oR4JYCRZaMPt_LQVYUR312Tzu2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s604/xm042_03-68.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7n7RYS4uI7Q/YK1aH1ysswI/AAAAAAAAGWM/jAtKF3oR4JYCRZaMPt_LQVYUR312Tzu2ACLcBGAsYHQ/w265-h400/xm042_03-68.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>At a time when the</i> X-Men <i>title was struggling to find a workable direction, John Buscema was turning in some superb covers. This one puts a different spin on an old idea. I even like to sly reference to the works excesses of contemporary DC book ...</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">As 1967 rolled over into 1968, the floating heads began to float away. The sole <i>X-Men</i> example, issue 42 (Mar 1968), wasn't really a traditional Floating Heads design, more a variation on a theme. Not surprisingly, the artist was John Buscema. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Over on <i>Fantastic Four 75</i> (Jun 1968), Jack Kirby was also trying a variation on the floating heads idea.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ozFOpQ6IzCA/YK1cDcv7FcI/AAAAAAAAGWU/Ch7FjtNbtEkcjBrnS00z8yTnIUtd3QwxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s595/FF075_06-68.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ozFOpQ6IzCA/YK1cDcv7FcI/AAAAAAAAGWU/Ch7FjtNbtEkcjBrnS00z8yTnIUtd3QwxgCLcBGAsYHQ/w269-h400/FF075_06-68.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>No danger of this one being a production department paste-up. You can see that Kirby designed the cover this way. Simple, striking and effective.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Although appearing similar to an old-school floating heads cover, this was more like Buscema's <i>X-Men</i> idea, with the heads reacting to either the scene depicted or something "off-camera". And the trend was continued on Buscema's next cover using the concept. <i>Avengers 56</i> (Sep 1968) had disembodied heads, but also reacting to the cover scene.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IA44IVwfxLM/YK1jq-o1UCI/AAAAAAAAGWc/FG5JuuOYbN0HVN3sHXTy9EHJgkIzNYwPACLcBGAsYHQ/s594/Avengers056_09-68.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IA44IVwfxLM/YK1jq-o1UCI/AAAAAAAAGWc/FG5JuuOYbN0HVN3sHXTy9EHJgkIzNYwPACLcBGAsYHQ/w269-h400/Avengers056_09-68.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">The 1968 Avengers comics had what was probably John Buscema's finest artwork. Though he didn't much care for George Klein's inks, I thought that he was by far the best inker for Buscema.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then finally, the last Silver Age floating heads cover I could find - <i>Avengers 60</i> (Jan 1969) - was John Buscema doing a more traditional design, though it doesn't appear to be a production paste-up.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fo61x80PNeY/YK1j6xZ047I/AAAAAAAAGWk/tk845Mkn4ZwJLggVkWRsa83bYSxy3faZACLcBGAsYHQ/s608/Avengers060_01-69.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fo61x80PNeY/YK1j6xZ047I/AAAAAAAAGWk/tk845Mkn4ZwJLggVkWRsa83bYSxy3faZACLcBGAsYHQ/w264-h400/Avengers060_01-69.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Buscema's penultimate issue of the 1968 run featured a cracking storyline from Roy Thomas and another cool floating heads cover design.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">After that, the floating heads design appeared to fall out of favour with Marvel cover artists. If the idea did turn up in later comics, it was almost always used in an ironic - or a nostalgic throwback - kind of way. By the time we got to the 1970s, the concept had more or less disappeared.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPPMBEnNRUI/YK6dk0Ynb3I/AAAAAAAAGW0/Aku-Vi0Hz4gqDj2kh_mN84A04YVKqbOyACLcBGAsYHQ/s1293/Avengers117_128_135.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="1293" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPPMBEnNRUI/YK6dk0Ynb3I/AAAAAAAAGW0/Aku-Vi0Hz4gqDj2kh_mN84A04YVKqbOyACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h186/Avengers117_128_135.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Avengers 117 <i>(Nov 1973) art by John Romita, </i>128<i> (Oct 1974) art by Gil Kane and </i>135<i> (May 1975) art by Jim Starlin were just three examples from the 1970s.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The last few stragglers, exclusively on the team books, included <i>The Avengers</i> and <i>The Defenders</i>, all under the watchful eye of John Romita, who was Marvel's Art Director from 1972 till the end of the 1980s. </span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WGcdGPT8TDw/YK6jX211jVI/AAAAAAAAGW8/W61s5ZZV_vgrvvfF5gR6F9ewEz3DX3oZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1286/Defenders051_065_068.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1286" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WGcdGPT8TDw/YK6jX211jVI/AAAAAAAAGW8/W61s5ZZV_vgrvvfF5gR6F9ewEz3DX3oZwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h193/Defenders051_065_068.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Defenders 51<i> (Sep 1977) art by George Perez, </i>65<i> (Nov 1978) art by Keith Pollard and </i>68<i> (Feb 1979) art by Herb Trimpe.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The cover style would crop up here and there during Romita's watch, but those instances fall outside the scope of this blog. Feel free to go looking for them yourself on <a href="https://www.comics.org/">The Grand Comicbook Database</a>.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VWVKWv2_Q38/YK6jltBZBLI/AAAAAAAAGXA/I934Q2uL3_QVJsqzEG5dQbQfOlpYlvKGACLcBGAsYHQ/s604/Avengers154_12-76.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VWVKWv2_Q38/YK6jltBZBLI/AAAAAAAAGXA/I934Q2uL3_QVJsqzEG5dQbQfOlpYlvKGACLcBGAsYHQ/w265-h400/Avengers154_12-76.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Avengers 154<i> (Dec 1976) - Jack Kirby's farewell to the floating heads cover. Inks by Al Milgrom.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then - almost as a coda to the whole thing - Kirby came back to Marvel in the late 1970's and contributed one last floating heads cover to <i>The Avengers</i>, a fitting postscript to a peculiarly Silver Age phenomenon.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Next: Yee-haah, you rannies!</b></span></p>
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<p></p><p></p>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-89261223319511743992023-09-09T06:53:00.015-07:002024-03-10T03:25:34.457-07:00What does an Editor actually do?<p><b>WHEN I FIRST STARTED READING COMICS IN THE 1960s</b>, not even the writers and artists were mentioned anywhere in the DC books I cut my teeth on, let alone the editors. It wasn't until I became involved in professional publishing that I began to grasp the scope of just what it is an editor does do.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZINA9ww967_QZ2cFKQdiJnz5-lhx5ylp817x3BlosAUtfQlT9IcTL5DzT1Rfp7Z06CiniQ7ov3lFj7QAlE8VJ_8kwEAqC-qbcsmWkrXl8hiMgAVY5aug_8pk4xaM_Drt1d2cp8nmqufetSB0FozKidM0F-jnGJpYuLCOhSI9zVJORXvmqzfIcCLwLSFz/s2048/Bradlee-Ben-adv-obit-slide-S7J3-superJumbo.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1453" data-original-width="2048" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZINA9ww967_QZ2cFKQdiJnz5-lhx5ylp817x3BlosAUtfQlT9IcTL5DzT1Rfp7Z06CiniQ7ov3lFj7QAlE8VJ_8kwEAqC-qbcsmWkrXl8hiMgAVY5aug_8pk4xaM_Drt1d2cp8nmqufetSB0FozKidM0F-jnGJpYuLCOhSI9zVJORXvmqzfIcCLwLSFz/w400-h284/Bradlee-Ben-adv-obit-slide-S7J3-superJumbo.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My editorial life was never as glamorous or as important Ben Bradlee's, but I do love movies that depict the rigours and responsibilities of being an editor.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Back at the beginning of the 1970s, I had an aspiration to be a comic artist. I had all the kit ... Windsor & Newton sable brushes, a good supply of india ink, pencils and erasers. And I even did the first year of A-Level Art, thinking it might be useful if I had pursued my original, more grown-up idea of being an architect. But parental pressure to take a more realistic approach to my career resulted in me concentrating more on science and finally going to City of London Polytechnic (now London Metropolitan University) to study psychology. But while there I got involved with the college newpaper, <i>Pepys</i>, creating logos and helping with layouts. I'd also done a couple of stints at Marvel UK as a general dogsbody during the holidays. So when my friend Dez Skinn offered me some (initially) temporary work at Top Sellers (publishers of <i>MAD</i>, and <i>House of Hammer</i>) right after leaving college, I almost bit his hand off.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4GNVAWVwitfiFQFbWTTQRVOAb3nbnokM7GxhnW4F4KIoDKpmsV5bYdMDQHyxhCDAdCJ_GtOIkVLLeWrVhrDTlYyCvENHJfvjYozfA6sCv5_CKMw5d1bhXsWNUQV83y2-R-Nes7rACoNbQEDZQJ_DFTVuluJGS1PL6d44QDuKghhe1LtGXjo98K48qCCG/s986/TopSellers_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="986" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4GNVAWVwitfiFQFbWTTQRVOAb3nbnokM7GxhnW4F4KIoDKpmsV5bYdMDQHyxhCDAdCJ_GtOIkVLLeWrVhrDTlYyCvENHJfvjYozfA6sCv5_CKMw5d1bhXsWNUQV83y2-R-Nes7rACoNbQEDZQJ_DFTVuluJGS1PL6d44QDuKghhe1LtGXjo98K48qCCG/w400-h258/TopSellers_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It was 1978. On </i>MAD<i> I had to anglicise the gags and have the text reset to fit in the existing balloons. Marking up type for </i>HoH <i>was a bit more straightforward, as we were printing articles in traditional column format.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>One of the first things I learned was how to mark up typewritten manuscripts for typsetting. Both <i>MAD</i> (in its speech balloons) and <i>House of Hammer</i> (in its articles) used typeset text (no computers back in those days), so I had to read the typewritten text through for style and errors ("subbing"), then hand-write on the instructions to the typesetter. The markup might typically look like this:</p>
<p><span style="font-family: courier;">9/10pt Times Roman Med x 14ems</span></p>
<p>That just means 9 point (tall) text, in a 10 point line-space, Times Roman font, medium (normal) weight, across a width of 14 ems.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73YMtPtFMwK7JCRhlgLznrELCWCGmWh8rOWI-cTDaU5jiHMdPR03vCqAITrxZWg2tHjBOV7RhgxiU0rRONTopfZ3NSTcc0mxX7YdVz6gzyJzNvOZ-G7gS1MdyNmsLSvm0cza9Jwj4wf9EyucKS3KvJVfFUY-tDZALgWKuJzxyNl6Fp9dc3UxY4uwCJb3r/s1000/Depth-scale02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73YMtPtFMwK7JCRhlgLznrELCWCGmWh8rOWI-cTDaU5jiHMdPR03vCqAITrxZWg2tHjBOV7RhgxiU0rRONTopfZ3NSTcc0mxX7YdVz6gzyJzNvOZ-G7gS1MdyNmsLSvm0cza9Jwj4wf9EyucKS3KvJVfFUY-tDZALgWKuJzxyNl6Fp9dc3UxY4uwCJb3r/w400-h225/Depth-scale02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A Geliot Whitman depth scale - we use the 12pt scale to measure column width. The other scales are used to count lines in a column of text.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Subbing was another necessary skill. Reading through an author's typed manuscript, catching typing or grammatical errors, smoothing any bumps in "readability" or style to make sure the manuscript was ready for typesetting. A typesetter would "follow the manuscript out the window", so any mistakes here would need to be caught and fixed manually at galley stage.</p>
<p>Proofreading was something you more or less taught yourself. At the beginning I'd proof a galley and give it back to Dez. He'd glance at it and say. "You missed three typos." So I'd have to proof the galley again. Best. Training. Ever. I soon figured out how to proofread flawlessly.</p>
<p>Pretty soon, I learned there was more to editing than just technical stuff like markup and proofreading. Another basic thing Dez taught me was that when cover lines run over more than one line, break the text where the natural pauses fall, creating a rhythm ... so:</p>
<table border="1" style="width: 600px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="background-color: #0072bc;"><td style="color: white; font-weight: bold;">Not like this</td><td style="color: white; font-weight: bold;">But like this</td></tr>
<tr><td>WILD<br />KIDS LOCKED,<br />LOADED & ON<br />THE TOWN</td><td>WILD KIDS<br />LOCKED,<br />LOADED<br />& ON THE TOWN</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>As <i>MAD</i> and <i>House of Hammer</i> at Top Sellers became <i>Doctor Who Monthly</i> and <i>Starburst</i> at Marvel UK, my experience and responsibilities grew. On <i>Starburst</i> I was commissioning articles, paginating each issue (deciding what went in the mag and where it should go) and occasionally reviewing the unsolicited submissions pile to see if any of the aspiring contributors had enough talent to make it as a professional. The other part of the job was staying in touch with the press officers at the various film companies to ensure we had a steady stream of press screening invites and movie stills. Some of those press officers - Eileen Wise at Disney and Nic Crawley at Warners - remain friends to this day.</p>
<p><i>Doctor Who Monthly</i> I inherited from another editor at Marvel UK. It wasn't the easiest of transitions. As part of the hand-over I was given four pages of unlettered David Loyd artwork from an Alan Moore script, and I could immediately see we had a problem. The relatively inexperienced Moore had a lot of very good ideas he'd tried to shoehorn into his script, but with only four pages it was simply not possible to fit all of his captions and dialogue as written into the available panel space.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOE8mpUCYJ3ONDK_cg0E7av8N3qekcMkSiAqzRT8hwL_3oEyxkhvz7do4xKcVN2XKTm_l5usdOvrduP4FxnAJSlJ7p3aMh9ol1_ZBIIN7_0uxyKLB3Im_NZ1VcEEMTcdP8K9cVqRw68PI6iowD00QWNLXisRfsX5THHY54QnpS0HShz1_uX3gSrsGdn5Y/s2092/BlackSun_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="2092" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOE8mpUCYJ3ONDK_cg0E7av8N3qekcMkSiAqzRT8hwL_3oEyxkhvz7do4xKcVN2XKTm_l5usdOvrduP4FxnAJSlJ7p3aMh9ol1_ZBIIN7_0uxyKLB3Im_NZ1VcEEMTcdP8K9cVqRw68PI6iowD00QWNLXisRfsX5THHY54QnpS0HShz1_uX3gSrsGdn5Y/w400-h134/BlackSun_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pretty wordy, eh? Yet this is what it looked like </i>after<i> I cut down the verbiage by about half. I added a credit for myself as Editor not because I'm an egomaniac, but to indicate that I'd heavily edited Alan's original script.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Of course, the problem should have been fixed at script stage. The previous editor should have either got Moore to re-write, or given artist Lloyd another page or two to expand the story. But because neither of these things happened, I was lumbered with hundreds of pounds worth of script and art that was effectively unusable. I stuck the story in a drawer and held off tackling the problem as long as I could, but eventually the accountants wanted to know why all that money had been spent on a story that hadn't been used.</p>
<p>I called Alan, explained the problem and offered him the opportunity to edit down some of his captions and dialogue. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't much interested. The alternative was that I would do the cutting myself. Alan wasn't pleased about that either, but there was no way I was going to be allowed to shelf the story. And that was that ... I was one of the first to make the Moore sh*tlist. But to be fair, there wasn't a lot of point in him shooting the messenger ...</p><p>Recollections may vary ...</p>
<p>Another, slightly more serious challenge happened while I was editing the <i>Starburst</i> sister magazine <i>cinema</i>. Alan Jones had secured an interview with cult actor David Warbeck (at one stage in the running for the James Bond role). Warbeck had had a colourful career as one of the UK's most successful models (he was a Kiwi) and had a sprightly run as an actor in Italian movies. One of his roles brought him to the set of Russ Meyer's <i>Black Snake</i> (1973), and Warbeck recounted an anecdote he was told by the movie's producer about the time Russ Myer tried to blow up his then-wife Edy Williams' car with dynamite while she was driving it.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbd0qoTssNVlAkhVD5K6E2NhNR7cBtTWETljHVbe9dS-fvXVmiHLUNGoyWweV6BFGhz4ZKtRCG4mmF0eaWnL_EFFSgYz-_WaUUntpnXAVUE2n7CrA0AuiG3lUIeaQdANB28dh7F8-2x46YuwbwpxzmDerEoYK8XsG1PYsyBmrbnXYQRJA-cvKiwsI7JeY/s669/DavidWarbeck_BlackSnake.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="669" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbd0qoTssNVlAkhVD5K6E2NhNR7cBtTWETljHVbe9dS-fvXVmiHLUNGoyWweV6BFGhz4ZKtRCG4mmF0eaWnL_EFFSgYz-_WaUUntpnXAVUE2n7CrA0AuiG3lUIeaQdANB28dh7F8-2x46YuwbwpxzmDerEoYK8XsG1PYsyBmrbnXYQRJA-cvKiwsI7JeY/w400-h173/DavidWarbeck_BlackSnake.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>David Warbeck in </i>Black Snake.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Unfortunately Meyer read that issue of <i>cinema</i> and pretty soon his lawyers were demanding a retraction or they would sue Marvel, Alan Jones and me, personally. For some reason, I don't think they were going to sue Warbeck, who'd actually recounted the story. Go figure. A retraction was given and all was well, but it does highlight the fact that an editor is legally responsible for everything that goes into their magazine.</p><p>And that's really the bottom line - the editor is responsible for everything that goes into the magazine.</p>
<p>Ultimately, it doesn't matter what the writer (or artist) wants, or thinks is right, or thinks is their right. It's the publisher's money and they - or their proxy, the editor - will decide what doesn't or doesn't fly when it comes to the magazine's content. And I've found myself on both sides of that great divide at various stages of my career.</p>
<p>You want creative freedom? Then you're going to have to self-publish. Even Stephen King and J. K. Rowling have editors.</p><p>So what does any of this have to do with Marvel in the Silver Age? I'm coming to that ...</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">INTERFERING WITH THE WORK OF OTHERS</h3>
<p>There's a hate group on Facebook that purports to champion the rights of Jack Kirby to be recognised as the true creator of Marvel Comics. I say "hate group" because one of the conditions of membership is that you have to say something shitty about Stan Lee to be accepted. For them it's a Zero Sum Game - for Jack to be the sole creator they have to "prove" that Stan nothing more than show up to the office every day and get in the way. And, of course, that's just nonsense ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zO9ZpyQDV3Os0nfi5s59DZ9GSPDm_9_kuOOkzGTh-jsQQTof9Sr4usKRD_49UxBsJNKk_uJiE5x69RwvepejV9FbYg0EA8eZNyPzBsecrGGN7DAIwYloqiLP44-PXyV3IA-O1xmtSnZdZk8NtIyfHYwfJPMmZ_ZATpMhIMIR7UUPIkIB4gfFtYUlOO1a/s1503/Kane_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="1463" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zO9ZpyQDV3Os0nfi5s59DZ9GSPDm_9_kuOOkzGTh-jsQQTof9Sr4usKRD_49UxBsJNKk_uJiE5x69RwvepejV9FbYg0EA8eZNyPzBsecrGGN7DAIwYloqiLP44-PXyV3IA-O1xmtSnZdZk8NtIyfHYwfJPMmZ_ZATpMhIMIR7UUPIkIB4gfFtYUlOO1a/s320/Kane_montage.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mank's contract stipulated he was a ghost-writer, though Welles, as usual, did a lot of re-writing. Thirty years later, Pauline Kael wrote her essay "Raising Kane", claiming that Welles hadn't written one word of Kane.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>It calls to mind <i><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1971/02/20/raising-kane-i">Raising Kane</a></i>, the 1971 attempt on the part of film critic Pauline Kael to demonstrate that the real author of <i>Citizen Kane</i> (1940) was not Orson Welles but co-scripter Herman Mankiewicz. Despite "Mank" being given top billing for the co-writing credit, Welles was somehow conspiring to rob his co-writer of due credit. Like the principle architects of the anti-Stan movement, Kael's research consisted of seeking out sources - principally John Housman in her case - who agree with the central premise.</p>
<p>But as Peter Bogdanovich - who had written a ripost to Kael, "The Kane Mutiny" - stated in one television interview, "Even if Orson <i>hadn't</i> re-written some of the Kane script, he certainly <i>directed</i> it. And if that isn't enough, he's <i>in</i> it ... unless [Kael] thought that was Peter Lorre in bald makeup."</p>
<p>So, Stan-haters, even if Stan didn't plot the stories - and he's freely admitted on many, many occasions that often his artists would plot the stories and bring them in for Stan to write the dialogue - he certainly scripted them. I've seen claims that because artists indicated the dialogue in pencil on their artwork, "all" Stan did was re-write that. Except that re-writing would be outside the duties of an editor, which would normally be confined to punctuation and grammar corrections. But if the tone isn't right, or the dialogue is too wordy, or not descriptive enough it is absolutely the editor's prerogative to re-write it into a form they think is acceptable, which they may or may not take a credit for.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUQj1T7C1VTLtbc7zivTkqefxIS8nBGB7-3JlfVNHnUT1EjLVoSsedJYI7-3KiukJdYtRC4Gf5j8euHiZsOYizOEKITisfj5Bx8QMtbliIPCSjcJGYSBT0vzsrAUcUU6RUE9LO6EBDjBwxZcMfQT3TFeQwX2yHklyHAI-6VBd35ZBlE62Myh6fJCf0NgY/s788/Thor127_KirbyNotes.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="788" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUQj1T7C1VTLtbc7zivTkqefxIS8nBGB7-3JlfVNHnUT1EjLVoSsedJYI7-3KiukJdYtRC4Gf5j8euHiZsOYizOEKITisfj5Bx8QMtbliIPCSjcJGYSBT0vzsrAUcUU6RUE9LO6EBDjBwxZcMfQT3TFeQwX2yHklyHAI-6VBd35ZBlE62Myh6fJCf0NgY/w400-h266/Thor127_KirbyNotes.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yes, Kirby has included dialogue suggestions and, yes, Lee has largely followed them. But the style and tone of the two versions are worlds apart.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>I had one case around the time I'd taken over the editor's chair on <i>2000AD</i>. A writer had piled up a whole slew of scripts for a storyline I thought wasn't right for the character. I wanted to clear the decks for a new take by a new writer. Experience had told me that I couldn't just bin the scripts ... And I couldn't pay anyone to re-write scripts that were already paid for. So I had to step outside the normal duties of an editor and painstakingly re-write them into a form that would shorten the sprawling storyline yet still make sense to the readers. And I took a pseudonymous co-credit because the scripts were no longer much like how the original writer had written them, even though the plot essentially remained the same. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it did make way for a new direction for the character that I thought was more suitable.</p><p>For the most part, people who don't write fiction themselves have a very slender understanding of how a story is constructed. Particularly folks like those who hang out in the Stan-haters Facebook group. They think that the plot is the entirety of the story. But that's a hugely simplistic view. When we look back across the history of fiction, it turns out that there really only a handful of story plots. I've heard as few as three, though some pundits will push for as many as seven. They are:
</p><p><b>The Quest:</b> The hero sets off on a journey to obtain something or to find someone, overcoming obstacles along the way.</p>
<p><b>The Love Story:</b> Girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy back.</p>
<p><b>The Revenge:</b> Villain does something horrible to the hero. Hero sets out to make the villain pay.</p>
<p>Author <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots">Christopher Booker</a> also makes a case for:</p>
<p><b>Overcoming the Monster</b> and <b>Voyage and Return </b>- though I'd argue that they are both pretty similar to <b>The Quest</b> - and; </p>
<p><b>Comedy</b>, <b>Tragedy</b> and <b>Rebirth</b>, none of which I think you'd be likely to find in a comic, but feel free to prove me wrong.</p>
<p>Okay, so you pick one of the several plots that exist, then add some characters to act out your plot. Are we there yet? Well, no ... not really. Because your characters have to have <i>character</i>. Then they have to act according to the personalities you've given them (otherwise you're just giving readers a plot-driven story, which they won't like). And you convey their personalities and motivations with a combination of natural-sounding dialogue, and their actions (which tie back into the Plot). <i>Then</i>, if you're lucky and you have all those components meshed and working in synch, you just might have a working story.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PRNq8RkuB1-UFNpJxQY_TD-Vzzp4zee5MQe0sAS46nkAKf7XwjPDQTo10fKcfWL8W2u8q7FpAtdNaxsEcqkmJPOU-76cGV7m_WkR_BmqcGLh-sSs5Igv1swR8sVxz8LINkOMtlYqhn_CfmAq1MCybG_e3Akos8rH5uYfEOIaf1Y0u_0r0Mcm9WXhpJ72/s2005/OtherWriters_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="2005" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PRNq8RkuB1-UFNpJxQY_TD-Vzzp4zee5MQe0sAS46nkAKf7XwjPDQTo10fKcfWL8W2u8q7FpAtdNaxsEcqkmJPOU-76cGV7m_WkR_BmqcGLh-sSs5Igv1swR8sVxz8LINkOMtlYqhn_CfmAq1MCybG_e3Akos8rH5uYfEOIaf1Y0u_0r0Mcm9WXhpJ72/w400-h141/OtherWriters_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stan tried other scripters starting around August 1962, and didn't like the results: </i>Journey into Mystery 86<i> (Larry Lieber), </i>Tales of Suspense 40<i> (Robert Bernstein), </i>Tales to Astonish 44 <i>(Ernie Hart) and </i>Strange Tales 112<i> (Jerry Siegel). <b>Click image to enlarge.</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>So let's allow that Silver Age Marvel's artists <i>did</i> do all their own plotting. But I'm still left with a conundrum, because all the Marvel books of the era <i>sounded</i> like they were written by the same hand. We know that <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2017/01/">Lee tried other writers</a> from the second half of 1962, for about 15 months, and was so unsatisfied with the results that he took over scripting all the main Marvel books himself. So by the end of 1963 it must have been Stan that re-wrote any and all of the artists' supplied dialogue.</p>
<p>Based on this, I'd say that Stan was going beyond his duties as editor and there's a strong case for saying, yes, Lee was the scripter for these stories.</p>
<p>Now, I know that the Stan-haters are never going to let go of that bone. For them, Stan is the Destroyer of Careers and that's all there is. But I would say the opposite is true. But before we dig too deeply into that, let's take a look at how Jack Kirby ended up once again working for the man he most disliked.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">JACK KIRBY IN THE LATE 1940s</h3>
<p>It has always puzzled me why Jack Kirby went cap-in-hand to Marvel in the second half of 1958 to ask for work. Given his massive falling out with Martin Goodman in 1941 and his (unfounded) <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2020/02/exposed-myths-of-marvels-silver-age.html">blaming of Stan Lee for his firing</a> from the Timely <i>Captain America</i> comic, it seems odd that he would ever have anything to do with Goodman or Lee again, much less give them all "his" great ideas for a line of new superhero comics.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r0YHGBcH-fVO18t4LTBRhKgZ21KMjTiCjl8GlWQIYH0dGyKvz66MwNMZHYWgKWOLWo-VgYDENwUNn0vfQJ8Z01dv2MZhycfpqWX2viOjeY02dNVxrt3u_KOujt-AsUsSxcahe310-5md-n0WN4aKW6rBX0WMFpFXJYcb3sQjx-__68ewa9ZjlIXMDOgy/s750/Simon-Kirby.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="750" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r0YHGBcH-fVO18t4LTBRhKgZ21KMjTiCjl8GlWQIYH0dGyKvz66MwNMZHYWgKWOLWo-VgYDENwUNn0vfQJ8Z01dv2MZhycfpqWX2viOjeY02dNVxrt3u_KOujt-AsUsSxcahe310-5md-n0WN4aKW6rBX0WMFpFXJYcb3sQjx-__68ewa9ZjlIXMDOgy/s320/Simon-Kirby.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, pictured around 1950, when they were working on </i>Boys' Ranch<i> for Alfred Harvey (note the prop guns).</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But let me run through the timeline of (Simon and) Kirby's work post-war and post-DC, and you'll see that some of the assertions made by Jack Kirby about his arriving at Marvel in late 1958 don't quite gel ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfY_YnHskIwOmVzFPja7wut9o4NOAEG5Fdt584_OGe-fDhTbnqOx2x48pVv5NiIyuoLY4Gv_oHbpHLBZe7dQi7gck_FVVLL9LM2XakUXNkwvmKZLyp4Mm8PyirFxF1JxxVH-OcNzjnIb21A6BjBuhh8LPE5pRAJNPCLe8DmJw_tikQiv80kM7_UOOzTm5/s822/Harvey01_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="822" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfY_YnHskIwOmVzFPja7wut9o4NOAEG5Fdt584_OGe-fDhTbnqOx2x48pVv5NiIyuoLY4Gv_oHbpHLBZe7dQi7gck_FVVLL9LM2XakUXNkwvmKZLyp4Mm8PyirFxF1JxxVH-OcNzjnIb21A6BjBuhh8LPE5pRAJNPCLe8DmJw_tikQiv80kM7_UOOzTm5/w400-h271/Harvey01_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>S&K's first titles for Alfred Harvey - </i>Stuntman 1<i> (Apr 1946) and </i>Boy Explorers 1<i> (May 1946). Neither comic enjoyed the massive success of </i>Boy Commandos <i>and</i> Newsboy Legion.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Even though their contract with DC ran out while they were serving in the military, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby jumped straight back to freelancing on Newsboy Legion and <i>Boy Commandos</i> around mid-1945. But as they were free agents they also began supplying material to Harvey Comics. Alfred Harvey was close friends with Simon and had in fact put Simon and Kirby together in early 1940. The Simon-Harvey business relationship would also be a long-term, on-and-off association that would last well into the 1960s. Harvey was known for his generosity and offered S&K a 50-50 split on all profits. The first Harvey book by S&K was <i>Stuntman 1</i>, cover-dated April 1946 ... quickly followed by <i>Boy Explorers 1</i> a month later. Neither title lasted beyond two issues ... both were lost in the inevitable glut of comic books that appeared after wartime paper rationing ended. S&K's golden deal with Harvey ended, and the inventory material dribbled out in Harvey's other titles.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqM8KkE0IleiVGdFe9BmOTqK951LaGvcFIeXyG4FBPazJXYsoE4kUUB6gYdq1Dn83pkChmqn6tSMFY4peeHPUSfqWLTG8CfJYIwjw-_uXvvyYQhixlIxCoDkA1mBvd2zm6Ax9-qozsIAwY6Cne0zsXeO2Kb-5314Bpp2Ta_NcDpc-Zd_psbb5cNscs0SwN/s830/Hillman_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="830" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqM8KkE0IleiVGdFe9BmOTqK951LaGvcFIeXyG4FBPazJXYsoE4kUUB6gYdq1Dn83pkChmqn6tSMFY4peeHPUSfqWLTG8CfJYIwjw-_uXvvyYQhixlIxCoDkA1mBvd2zm6Ax9-qozsIAwY6Cne0zsXeO2Kb-5314Bpp2Ta_NcDpc-Zd_psbb5cNscs0SwN/w400-h264/Hillman_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clue Comics<i> was Hillman's answer to the hugely successful </i>Crime Does Not Pay<i> book put out by Gleason. S&K also created a teen book for Hillman, </i>My Date<i>, similar in tone to MLJ's Archie comics.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Joe and Jack were out of work, so they looked around the industry to see what was doing well, and worked up some presentations for Ed Cronin at Hillman publications, home of <i>Airboy</i>. Hillman was publishing a <i>Crime Does Not Pay</i> knock-off called <i>Clue Comics</i>, so Simon and Kirby began packaging that. They also created all the material for <i>My Date Comics 1,</i> - not an actual romance comic ... that was some way off yet - which was cover-dated July 1947. The pair also landed a regular slot in <i>Airboy Comics</i> with Link Thorne - The Flying Fool.</p>
<p>But there was still more capacity, so S&K's next target was Crestwood, also known as Prize Comics. The pair had worked briefly for Crestwood, taking over The Black Owl and elevating it to the lead strip in <i>Prize Comics 7</i> (Dec 1940). The following issue saw the debut of Ted O'Neill, but by February 1941, they had moved on, pausing to produce the first issue <i>Captain Marvel Adventures</i> (Mar 1941) for Fawcett before settling in to their staff positions at Timely/Marvel.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjg_T9U8mIhD4npM5Kcgw8wqES4dPHZs0mv04vlKbLNmE_N_VzE81pLCvCxTU0_EqXP6Lq9ZSGC_ptGLEFPmAmdDNxeMHDrYSpgsnXKvauEC8Pt1VBxuqNw19aqM5CahNGVRYiRdR9gFW0bpycVwpNskf2hZsTJ9ZFTYNYCfQ1dAkf7PjVKUgKdqN7v57e/s1299/Prize_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="1299" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjg_T9U8mIhD4npM5Kcgw8wqES4dPHZs0mv04vlKbLNmE_N_VzE81pLCvCxTU0_EqXP6Lq9ZSGC_ptGLEFPmAmdDNxeMHDrYSpgsnXKvauEC8Pt1VBxuqNw19aqM5CahNGVRYiRdR9gFW0bpycVwpNskf2hZsTJ9ZFTYNYCfQ1dAkf7PjVKUgKdqN7v57e/w400-h176/Prize_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>After a couple filler strips and covers, S&K took over packaging the established but bland, crime-themed </i>Headline Comics<i> for Prize/Crestwood.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The first thing they did for Crestwood in 1946 this time round was a story and cover for <i>Treasure Comics 10</i> (Dec 1946). They followed this up with another story and cover for <i>Prize Comics 63</i> (Mar 1947), presumably to demonstrate their value to the publisher. Crestwood was also putting out a so-so crime book called <i>Headline Comics</i>. S&K thought they could do a better job with it and took it over with issue 23 (Mar 1947) for a page rate and a percentage.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfyy4O8A5MYYmQPIUaNfN6wyHvjZtBW1PtOsOgjTxcw18SBWi0sHsZaTLe_jqIEXfo8l9nGJHrJ4NBFO340D7dFZsuhRuDqwNLNowhAu6s1oJPB8TK1Zg6NKPGarf5837k2OGgI_hg3FN7TYxa8wKChJ-c-fc0IlzZtxNy4rnS0VHktwIgxi7tS4So1Z4/s1309/Prize_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="1309" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfyy4O8A5MYYmQPIUaNfN6wyHvjZtBW1PtOsOgjTxcw18SBWi0sHsZaTLe_jqIEXfo8l9nGJHrJ4NBFO340D7dFZsuhRuDqwNLNowhAu6s1oJPB8TK1Zg6NKPGarf5837k2OGgI_hg3FN7TYxa8wKChJ-c-fc0IlzZtxNy4rnS0VHktwIgxi7tS4So1Z4/w400-h174/Prize_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justice Traps the Guilty<i> was another success for Crestwood and S&K, but it was</i> Young Romance<i> that gave them a hit on the same level as </i>Captain America<i>, seven years earlier.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The changeover was a success for Crestwood, because six months later, Simon and Kirby launched their own crime comic, <i>Justice Traps the Guilty 1</i> (Oct 47), at the company. But an even bigger success was just round the corner. Spotting that there were no comics for teen and pre-teen girls Joe Simon came up with the idea for a full-on love comic. <i>Young Romance 1</i> (Sep 1947) literally sold out, an unheard of outcome, when comics would be doing well to achieve a 60% sell-through. Pretty soon, the title would be selling a million copies a month. The market was flooded with imitators, so 18 months later, S&K showed them how to do an imitation of <i>Young Romance</i> and packaged up <i>Young Love 1</i> (Feb 1949) for Crestwood. That, too, sold almost a million copies.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPgeQ_d-Pr_ie6hAa_pdMxqHzSC1BBL4Kv_meHAK5IG4zgIY_mOEDO_i-fQV2FnQ74yxws4tzFUwNMZJX0ORHD5HDpVkoG5DV21wapxafQZnDp3j7_VBdc_jkxSulLr3D84Grrum8emPCOb36vCsB8d2HK4mHshitSBEzbLru1DAor0gcCtjprC13NzM0/s850/Prize_montage03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="850" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPgeQ_d-Pr_ie6hAa_pdMxqHzSC1BBL4Kv_meHAK5IG4zgIY_mOEDO_i-fQV2FnQ74yxws4tzFUwNMZJX0ORHD5HDpVkoG5DV21wapxafQZnDp3j7_VBdc_jkxSulLr3D84Grrum8emPCOb36vCsB8d2HK4mHshitSBEzbLru1DAor0gcCtjprC13NzM0/w400-h265/Prize_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's horror, Jim, but not as we know it. Simon and Kirby's horror titles were more spooky than horrifying, but were successful nonetheless. </i>Black Magic<i> lasted into the 1960s.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Then, as horror comics were becoming popular at the beginning of the 1950s, mostly because of Bill Gaines' <i>Crypt of Terror</i>, <i>Vault of Horror</i> and <i>Haunt of Fear</i> books, Simon and Kirby launched a couple of (admittedly tamer) horror comics through Crestwood. <i>Black Magic</i> was a modest success, but its companion title, <i>Strange World of Your Dreams</i> was maybe just a bit too weird for the early 1950s audience and lasted just four issues.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmCvn7i4a_4FtxWAa4YXzJEMr_d6dpF0wS0Z4kb7Equw9Y8FU8iBOZ79LxhARggQ9DlvRMCBfmwBrDGYhCSNwwLx1A_b5DMb9AJPb2xDEJf5FY047TOS4FTolJYsYRA3ABMyMSBQqhDneyuOQzA8dbCPCk9vfdGfiNcmXN79uVAydRVdGFRmxdh-SFFHE/s850/Harvey02_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="850" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmCvn7i4a_4FtxWAa4YXzJEMr_d6dpF0wS0Z4kb7Equw9Y8FU8iBOZ79LxhARggQ9DlvRMCBfmwBrDGYhCSNwwLx1A_b5DMb9AJPb2xDEJf5FY047TOS4FTolJYsYRA3ABMyMSBQqhDneyuOQzA8dbCPCk9vfdGfiNcmXN79uVAydRVdGFRmxdh-SFFHE/w400-h288/Harvey02_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boys' Ranch <i>has frequently been cited as one of S&K's favourite creations. They certainly poured everything they had into it. Yet reception was lukewarm at best, and the title lasted barely a year.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Even though they were riding high at Crestwood with their own stable of titles, Simon decided to offer their next project to his old friend Al Harvey and in the late summer of 1950, another S&K kid comic arrived on the stands, <i>Boys' Ranch 1</i> (Oct 1950). Quite why Simon preferred this project to go to Harvey has never really been explained. The title only lasted six issues, but Simon and Kirby were packaging nine regular titles at Crestwood, so they weren't going to go hungry.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb2gRaoLdLhKkXZKmY8zSq13HJE4DIK3gMrQadhLhW5ILAFFMpPPbNyL7s23XHThqUc7yFnQAmXM9fzpIJQp2MRMx9op9kcNxottVHZXyXN3OLPFXrZwYFqWdp-KCRGg2Cg3zFQzRqdqaIPxkjmF6s0zWC-W1JmIiL58IAX5fhJhQqZFdzt5b7P47ljdx/s1327/Prize_montage04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1327" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb2gRaoLdLhKkXZKmY8zSq13HJE4DIK3gMrQadhLhW5ILAFFMpPPbNyL7s23XHThqUc7yFnQAmXM9fzpIJQp2MRMx9op9kcNxottVHZXyXN3OLPFXrZwYFqWdp-KCRGg2Cg3zFQzRqdqaIPxkjmF6s0zWC-W1JmIiL58IAX5fhJhQqZFdzt5b7P47ljdx/w400-h185/Prize_montage04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Goodman always favoured Human Torch over the other two Timely giants, relegating Cap to a back-up strip in </i>Young Men 24<i> (Dec 1953).</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Joe and Jack's last project for Crestwood before the big comics meltdown of 1954 was the patriotic character Fighting American. Over at Atlas, publisher Martin Goodman had recognised that his prize property Captain America functioned best in a war setting, and that America's proxy war against communism in Korea provided an opportunity to revive the character. So after a few adventures in <i>Young Men</i>, Captain America returned in his own title with issue 76 (May 1954), which kind of ticked off Simon and Kirby. So they decided to show Goodman how it should be done. But unknown to Joe and Jack, trouble was brewing ...</p>
<p>Because of the negative publicity from the Kefauver Hearings on comic books and juvenile delinquency, many magazine distributors were running scared. Circulations were falling and Independent News, who distributed Crestwood among other publishers, put pressure on the company owners to make the stories less sensational. It was at this same time that Joe Simon realised that he and Kirby were being cheated by Crestwood owners Teddy Epstein and Mike Bleier. They had been selling the printing plates of the S&K titles for scrap metal and not declaring it. This amounted to a $130,000 dollar shortfall in payments to Simon and Kirby, the equivalent of $1.5 million in today's money. Faced with the likely collapse of Crestwood if they insisted on getting paid, S&K accepted a good faith payment of $10k and continued packaging their titles for the company.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt1cWGc-KcHlihA0eDn0qiPWcgtcCLls79-qo3_V3OZFrkvsTDxF_OydJOzIJGjY4IBuyrsGMVkDWdMYmdCf60SYrh7xGLTBpKQfantj_22xl5SpuCZAvCp3glHwaA5xrI_bvF1wIX6fZKlLxqPAafkQSN4sX8lcU5Sr8Aq_JxyDF3ckAstcvkuouajV-/s1299/PreCode_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="1299" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt1cWGc-KcHlihA0eDn0qiPWcgtcCLls79-qo3_V3OZFrkvsTDxF_OydJOzIJGjY4IBuyrsGMVkDWdMYmdCf60SYrh7xGLTBpKQfantj_22xl5SpuCZAvCp3glHwaA5xrI_bvF1wIX6fZKlLxqPAafkQSN4sX8lcU5Sr8Aq_JxyDF3ckAstcvkuouajV-/w400-h179/PreCode_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm no fan of censorship, but in many ways, the publishers brought the Comic Code restrictions down on themselves. The crime books were even more outrageous than the horror titles.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Mostly because of this - but also because many comic publishers were holding off launching new titles in the wake of the Kefauver Hearings resulting in idle printing presses - Joe Simon and Jack Kirby decided their next tranche of comic books would be published by their own company.</p><p>Leader News was the distributor for EC Comics, and they were worried that EC wouldn't weather the storm. So they offered Simon and Kirby an advance on sales. The biggest comic book printers World Color, desperate to keep their presses rolling, also gave the creators credit, so S&K were able to get Mainline Comics up and running at minimum risk to themselves.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRzorHZgCj10SrDQfSBCgZaqzMAV01E1iTUN47qidlTok917y94fdjE0lbyZFiSKMhEsiWjJKeLskw-jPE-GEu_aii7ruNjWktRToOLS9eSHtoGhcV6N95vkMvEtvsCFARUZHYJ9MwTOdapMSC9Aze7axSVxzDGlm-QHaOkjJp-cpzFChTVJrhqxA3KVX/s1763/Mainline_montage04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="1763" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRzorHZgCj10SrDQfSBCgZaqzMAV01E1iTUN47qidlTok917y94fdjE0lbyZFiSKMhEsiWjJKeLskw-jPE-GEu_aii7ruNjWktRToOLS9eSHtoGhcV6N95vkMvEtvsCFARUZHYJ9MwTOdapMSC9Aze7axSVxzDGlm-QHaOkjJp-cpzFChTVJrhqxA3KVX/w400-h136/Mainline_montage04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Mainline comics mined familiar territory. Western, crime, romance and war. Can't go wrong. Note how the </i>In Love<i> cover re-uses the </i>Stuntman<i> concept of looking like a hardback book.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Mainline Comics cautiously released their new titles a month apart, starting with the western title <i>Bullseye 1</i> (Jul 1954) and <i>Police Trap 1</i> (Aug 19154), both designed to not spook the retailers in the way that the EC and the Harvey books did. They followed these up with a romance title, <i>In Love 1</i> (Sep 1954), and a war book, <i>Foxhole 1</i> (Oct 1954). It should have been a roaring success given Simon and Kirby's talents and track record, but circumstances conspired against them.</p>
<p>Bill Gaines tried to continue putting out comics that complied with the Comics Code, but it just didn't work. Colour comics were a risky proposition, and Gaines abandoned the field and in July 1955 switched his <i>Mad</i> title to a magazine that resembled the "slicks" that Martin Goodman was putting out at Magazine Management. Leader News lost their biggest client and went under, leaving Joe and Jack without a distributor after just nine months. The last thing Joe and Jack had developed for Mainline was <i>Challengers of the Unknown</i>. The entire, completed first issue was shelved. Mainline ceased trading and the Simon and Kirby partnership effectively ended.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvraj2TDwr1vd9a1Gh-BuKV2SDQIdSOzHsgUa2UBB9mPbobaOO2_srJPIRa0jyjiTltULbTMxPPHuV66zizKrtBiEhXzgtjO1quUGBk3duSAxL4GzLgPrILGOghMgcENy5u2vN9KLlfKKk2SyxsPD1P0MdmVhpS5UzkzgjqxVBJU4t4oxFlChyPxHJw1F/s1306/Prize_montage05.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="1306" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvraj2TDwr1vd9a1Gh-BuKV2SDQIdSOzHsgUa2UBB9mPbobaOO2_srJPIRa0jyjiTltULbTMxPPHuV66zizKrtBiEhXzgtjO1quUGBk3duSAxL4GzLgPrILGOghMgcENy5u2vN9KLlfKKk2SyxsPD1P0MdmVhpS5UzkzgjqxVBJU4t4oxFlChyPxHJw1F/w400-h179/Prize_montage05.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>After Mainline Comics folded, Jack Kirby re-focussed his energies on freelancing for Crestwood's Romance Titles, but even that was to be a dwindling market.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Joe went to work for Harvey, repackaging old stories to make them look less like reprints and Kirby carried on drawing for Crestwood, mostly on the romance titles, and doing a little work for Harvey. But towards the end of 1956, Prize thought they could save some money by cancelling two of the S&K romance books, <i>Young Love</i> and <i>Young Brides</i> and replace them with a new romance title, <i>All For Love</i>, where they didn't have to share the profits.</p>
<p>Jack had to cast around for new work and got some assignments from his nemesis Stan Lee at Atlas, on <i>Astonishing 56</i> (Dec 1956), <i>Strange Tales of the Unusual 7</i> (Dec 1956) and more prominently <i>The Yellow Claw 2-5</i> (Dec 1956 - Apr 1957). But working for Goodman and Lee clearly did not sit well with Kirby, so he turned his attention back to DC Comics.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAVwPWFFXsfgNu0T-Mdwn7-Nx0AukcZQiTBCzigUXzHFJNk30LdeLMPIzvl114MJzaZmrr-xd_lZ8REJd2Z1meVHs7DDXQAztpi9yLdHQUdXJtbHujcnbkiomHYM8_bAEXJpQH--Ay-Bjyd4XiMSPXzoRZZv5OXMP01mflXHbztkmD2TxkgieiKRh7kme/s1303/Showcase_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1303" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAVwPWFFXsfgNu0T-Mdwn7-Nx0AukcZQiTBCzigUXzHFJNk30LdeLMPIzvl114MJzaZmrr-xd_lZ8REJd2Z1meVHs7DDXQAztpi9yLdHQUdXJtbHujcnbkiomHYM8_bAEXJpQH--Ay-Bjyd4XiMSPXzoRZZv5OXMP01mflXHbztkmD2TxkgieiKRh7kme/w400-h176/Showcase_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The last true S&K project found a home at DC Comics, two years after it was conceived. </i>Challengers <i>did well enough in</i> Showcase <i>to get its own title.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Kirby blew the dust off the <i>Challengers of the Unknown</i> project and offered it to his old <i>Boy Commandos</i> editor, Jack Schiff. The series ran in four issues of <i>Showcase</i>, beginning with issue <i>6</i> (Jan 1958) and continuing through issues <i>7</i>, <i>11</i> and <i>12</i>. The Challengers strip graduated to its own title in April 1958. Pretty soon, Kirby was doing other stories for Schiff, on <i>House of Mystery</i>, <i>House of Secrets</i> and <i>Tales of the Unexpected</i>.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsg25wv8oCbj7WgZ2XDv-fALZ8qDSRQ508aup0qViQ-t3BcyBS2ZXiSKmuFzl4jTti8g8xDHVm522sMIGujxOCBUWlvLBWmHVDOpoRerYdzwV74bj3cbjl8jSzAlHa3ovcU42-M63DJFvA5GaKcTqvK3mQludACRx3t-Lh1H2wOR6bp4wi0GpobFn9So3/s1307/Mystery_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1307" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsg25wv8oCbj7WgZ2XDv-fALZ8qDSRQ508aup0qViQ-t3BcyBS2ZXiSKmuFzl4jTti8g8xDHVm522sMIGujxOCBUWlvLBWmHVDOpoRerYdzwV74bj3cbjl8jSzAlHa3ovcU42-M63DJFvA5GaKcTqvK3mQludACRx3t-Lh1H2wOR6bp4wi0GpobFn9So3/w400-h179/Mystery_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>During 1958, Jack Kirby was getting more and more work from DC. The </i>Challengers of the Unknown<i> book was doing well and he was graduating from mystery book fillers to doing Green Arrow for </i>Adventure Comics.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Then he was given the Green Arrow feature in <i>Adventure Comics 252</i> (Sep 1958) and things were looking up for Jack Kirby. Around the same time, Schiff was asked by Harry Elmlark of the George Matthew Adams newspaper syndicate to suggest some comics people who could create a "space-race" newspaper strip. Schiff knew that Dave & Dick Wood had been working with Jack Kirby on a space-oriented proposal for a newspaper strip and asked to see their material. Thinking it wasn't quite right for Elmlark, Schiff suggested a slightly different approach and the result, <i>Sky Masters</i>, sold and ran for a little over two years. However, arguments over money began. Originally Dave Wood and Jack Kirby were to split the payments fifty-fifty (this would have been in line with how Kirby worked with Joe Simon). But Schiff wanted 5% for putting the deal together. Then Kirby wanted his share increased to 66% because he had to pay an inker out of his end (though he could have inked the strip himself). It all got a bit ugly when Schiff took Wood and Kirby to court for his share of the payments and won. <i>Sky Masters</i> would continue until February 1961, but working for Schiff was untenable for Kirby - he urgently needed to find another outlet. </p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">JACK KIRBY IN THE LATE 1950s</h3>
<p>Whether Kirby withdrew his labour from Schiff in protest or Schiff dispensed with Kirby's services is not clear, but the result was that Kirby was forced to go back to Stan Lee, looking for work. It must have been a pretty bitter pill.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMrzV0Su9jasoAav3MW39W_8wa3PL5AFAd9GPdso4ObhkIWWMKGoxJfSoPRO-Q17B4S_d9l3e3WLWCcfg4gGGjvK9QmHCT3PoRF4Ua8cdEn4Ghda38apKvxG8uBDWUipZSWD8oYbKoe9epzetB1shMwuR2wED0dIv85bH5t3DnzElBo8Wye6ZIYC1SysI/s1293/KirbyMystery_montage_hor.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1264" data-original-width="1293" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMrzV0Su9jasoAav3MW39W_8wa3PL5AFAd9GPdso4ObhkIWWMKGoxJfSoPRO-Q17B4S_d9l3e3WLWCcfg4gGGjvK9QmHCT3PoRF4Ua8cdEn4Ghda38apKvxG8uBDWUipZSWD8oYbKoe9epzetB1shMwuR2wED0dIv85bH5t3DnzElBo8Wye6ZIYC1SysI/w400-h391/KirbyMystery_montage_hor.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pretty much as soon as his feet hit Marvel's lobby, Kirby was the go-to guy for covers and lead strips on the fantasy books, starting with Dec 1958's </i>Strange Worlds 1<i> and becoming a fixture within three months.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>When Kirby washed up on the shores of Atlas Comics in July 1958, he effectively had nowhere else to go. He was doing a little work at Crestwood on the romance titles, but they too were winding down. In the June of that year, Stan Lee had lost his friend and collaborator Joe Maneely in a tragic subway accident and was barely putting out enough titles to keep even the few artists he had in work. Kirby effectively stepped into Maneely's shoes - <i>World of Fantasy 14</i>'s cover was by Maneely, issue <i>15</i>'s was by Kirby - despite his vocal dislike of Stan Lee.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8Zc7Llhokqp6XzGTNZYs25DgsmBpbQ6obd0DA4XMJDcCuz50m6UYAvvCW3sF4RrSJdwsAWvEHNLUrxHvEZga7avH16Xv1RwkYzCn53D82WzWSgvLJrRF2dJ-CQZmYbk84DfB8sQgepc4No77Tv0ogL8WwvaFEgzm-qi-eJxXQK15hdWTAuiiTwWsPKn4/s1275/KirbyWestern_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1275" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8Zc7Llhokqp6XzGTNZYs25DgsmBpbQ6obd0DA4XMJDcCuz50m6UYAvvCW3sF4RrSJdwsAWvEHNLUrxHvEZga7avH16Xv1RwkYzCn53D82WzWSgvLJrRF2dJ-CQZmYbk84DfB8sQgepc4No77Tv0ogL8WwvaFEgzm-qi-eJxXQK15hdWTAuiiTwWsPKn4/w400-h386/KirbyWestern_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>By spring 1959 Jack Kirby had branched out into western, war and romance, starting with </i>Gunsmoke Western 51<i> (Apr 1959), then </i>Battle 64<i> (Jun 1959) and </i>Love Romances 83<i> (Sep 1959).</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>For this reason, it doesn't seem likely terribly likely that Jack Kirby arrived at Atlas/Marvel that was about to go bankrupt with a portfolio of great ideas, as he has often claimed. If Goodman was going to shut down his comics operation - remember, he had a whole other magazine division that was doing nicely, thanks - he would have done it in mid-1958, once he'd used up his inventory. But instead he gave Stan the green light to start commissioning again, so that must be taken as an indicator that the comics were still profitable.</p><p>To me, what <i>does</i> seem a little opportunist on Kirby's part is that he was not, given the timing, just seeking to fill the gap left by Joe Maneely, but also easing out artists like Russ Heath and John Severin who'd been drawing Marvel covers and interior art all through the 1950s.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">STAN LEE IN THE LATE 1950s</h3><p>The second half of the 1950s wasn't the best time for Stan Lee. His boss, Martin Goodman, had made a disastrous mistake in 1957 by <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-were-silver-age-marvels-so-much.html">dissolving his distribution company Atlas</a> and instead signing a deal with American News Company. But when ANC was investigated for anti-trust violations, they shut down their operation leaving Goodman's Magazine Management without a distributor. Only Independent News Distribution, owned by DC Comics, would take Goodman's magazines, so the comics operation was reduced to just Stan in an office, writing and editing all the titles, and a few artists who were prepared to put up with Goodman's miserly page rates.</p><p>While there's been a lot of focus on what Stan did or didn't contribute to the writing of the stories at Marvel during the late 1950s and early 1960s, there not been much detail about what he did as an editor. In an essay for Robin Snyder's fanzine <i>The Four Page Series 9</i> (2015), Ditko stated, "Writing, editing, dialogue, sound effects, captions, were all Stan's division of labour at Marvel." Later on, he would also have been writing the copy for house ads and compiling the letters columns (and the responses) during that period.</p>
<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAz7zSdVh9vwIK904QKgnOx6BzcXe8YAgHElJATNvgz6SLsmECg8zRPxuk8QMF3bK16VhUxWxJd-1ubR-INpVlPd06HKWXDz0EEwy6hPLSi3jc6yJ8sIEBwBt6bQjJa4X6nJcDCJEs_b3KegDIsiTC7dFlTldKRsYCrk4Djhfs4svRHdveUXOj1rZcnFft/s1272/RejectedCovers_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="1272" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAz7zSdVh9vwIK904QKgnOx6BzcXe8YAgHElJATNvgz6SLsmECg8zRPxuk8QMF3bK16VhUxWxJd-1ubR-INpVlPd06HKWXDz0EEwy6hPLSi3jc6yJ8sIEBwBt6bQjJa4X6nJcDCJEs_b3KegDIsiTC7dFlTldKRsYCrk4Djhfs4svRHdveUXOj1rZcnFft/w400-h394/RejectedCovers_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>There are many instances of Editor Stan Lee thinking a cover was not good enough and having the artist redraw it. Here's a few instances from the early 1960s where cover art was rejected and a new version drawn. <b>Click image to enlarge</b>.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>More importantly, as editor, Stan would have decided who got to draw which title. For example, when Stan wanted 57 pages of new material for the <i>Fantastic Four Annual 1</i> (Sep 1963), first Al Hartley, then Joe Sinnott were assigned to <i>Journey into Mystery</i> for a few months. As Ditko noted in the same essay, "As I was a freelancer, Stan could, at any time, just have Sol [Brodsky] tell me I was OFF <i>S-M</i>, OUT of Marvel."</p><p>Ditko also described in detail just how hands-on Stan was as an editor. When he brought his pencilled pages in, "Stan and I would go over every panel; he'd note anything he didn't understand or something needed, wanted, more detail, etc. I'd mark any needed wanted changes, corrections, additions, to fix on the side of the pencilled page I was to ink. Plus, I gave Stan typewriting paper showing my rough idea of what was being said in the story broken down into panels. Stan never wanted me to write any actual dialogue or names.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivP0ik0EuqoVRjyZmF0Kz7k7WTHPYA7rfYXnjiNBJrXck5pGsO_iuWK0hIIzaxJnuzXaSFk514LTaSuCt4V0F5FIQXS-O6ofEGHtGqWVKPyhhSewMgTHSvDSZ1isQt5snIJtnNkOo56AuMkQUrN5IMfW0kYfPnMVdNcferMhrnB2Q2jr1QbnfavLHB2TJa/s1298/RejectedCovers_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1248" data-original-width="1298" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivP0ik0EuqoVRjyZmF0Kz7k7WTHPYA7rfYXnjiNBJrXck5pGsO_iuWK0hIIzaxJnuzXaSFk514LTaSuCt4V0F5FIQXS-O6ofEGHtGqWVKPyhhSewMgTHSvDSZ1isQt5snIJtnNkOo56AuMkQUrN5IMfW0kYfPnMVdNcferMhrnB2Q2jr1QbnfavLHB2TJa/w400-h385/RejectedCovers_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Even later into the 1960s, Lee would routinely decide that a cover wasn't strong enough and would have the artist redraw it. Here's a few more examples of covers rejected by Stan and their replacements.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>"The cover was always done last, and in this way: I'd take a blank sheet of paper, we'd look over the inked pages and Stan would suggest some action for the cover. I'd rough out the idea - making changes or adjustments or he'd suggest a different idea - and I would rough out, adjust, etc."</p><p>That sounds like Stan was pretty involved in the storytelling process, and very much in control of the final product, both with covers and stories. He was at least as involved as his counterparts over at DC, if not more so. And it's likely the way he worked with Jack Kirby was similar. He certainly had Jack make changes to interior pencils and would want alterations to - and sometimes even rejected - cover art.</p><p>So the claim that Stan Lee contributed nothing to the Marvel stories of the 1950s and 1960s just doesn't stack up.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsW9YRhw24Yp9D4WU_EFnkWtGhkWNw9aGJB551sltptqJ7-5Y1kgdZs2O7iWlUxiItH6smLny6HgrHTrQbw778jUe6blj7jbkWxElrLaRYSCFymud4OQUWVxCz6P3XVHBobLNf1IvYKA8zh-_ZtwpCK08hz2vM8y_8IlJ38-ONZ6gttYi46ONMfQNZ8lD/s1748/PostAtlasTeen_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="1748" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsW9YRhw24Yp9D4WU_EFnkWtGhkWNw9aGJB551sltptqJ7-5Y1kgdZs2O7iWlUxiItH6smLny6HgrHTrQbw778jUe6blj7jbkWxElrLaRYSCFymud4OQUWVxCz6P3XVHBobLNf1IvYKA8zh-_ZtwpCK08hz2vM8y_8IlJ38-ONZ6gttYi46ONMfQNZ8lD/w400-h136/PostAtlasTeen_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>These teen titles had survived since the Timely Age, and astonishingly weren't culled in the Great Atlas Implosion, so they must have been selling okay.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Earlier in the 1950s, it seems as though Stan Lee was producing full scripts. There was next to no staff in the Marvel offices and Stan didn't have the budget to use freelance writers. Quoted in the <i>Jack Kirby Collector 9</i>, Atlas artist Joe Sinnott explained, "I'd go down to the city on Friday, and Stan would give me a script to take home ... I'd bring the story back on Friday and he'd give me another script. I never knew what kind of script I'd be getting. Stan had a big pile on his desk, and he used to write most of the stories himself in those days. You'd walk in, and he'd be banging away at his typewriter. He would finish a script and put it on the pile. Sometimes on his pile would be a western, then below it would be a science fiction, and a war story, and a romance. You never knew what you were getting, because he always took it off the top. And you were expected to do any type of story."</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFD5DLEyBASCbTdjyYP16uvOi6yKO1lMUMhL9KYtl0RnmDt2ip7gGrKOILz1_AO-harD7mFCIy9e7vbxLjY2Ob9ARhwkNQhi1_ykm1TBBXh8IwFheFR2BRa7BaeVF2-dNRfOrlIv_8yZUMKv26D1bwjMSroIrSclQPmdUKegy0rr0c2YvqpMsO9_hZuSZd/s850/PostAtlasRomance_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="850" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFD5DLEyBASCbTdjyYP16uvOi6yKO1lMUMhL9KYtl0RnmDt2ip7gGrKOILz1_AO-harD7mFCIy9e7vbxLjY2Ob9ARhwkNQhi1_ykm1TBBXh8IwFheFR2BRa7BaeVF2-dNRfOrlIv_8yZUMKv26D1bwjMSroIrSclQPmdUKegy0rr0c2YvqpMsO9_hZuSZd/w400-h280/PostAtlasRomance_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Marvel's long-running romance titles began in about 1950, right after Simon and Kirby launched their </i>Young Romance<i> comic. They too survived the implosion.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>By mid-1958, Stan would have been running out of inventory Atlas stories. Ditko started drawing regularly for Stan around that time, just as Kirby did. But when you check the job numbers of these stories on Grand Comicbook Database, you can see that the Ditko and Kirby stories mostly start with a "T", where many of the other job numbers around that time start with an "M" ... so I'm going to stick my neck out and say that the T job numbers are new material commissioned by Stan as the old Atlas inventory stock was running out.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QiPqWHOnwSbmKOzmluzwzpSwMr-J0r71qrcqMHlE8SmCE18dpF1B8I-TT1oYQff60WuAWPgR7aY_DKnJBUDhlxD2Qdu4tBUi18IQ591ATe1C1JuDd45MtWiMgFEzimMpbAiAFGR89vqHt2-TM8yC7-TtiQmHsTFedOK048Cw7sP6qal3zRJ9rSWpWMRe/s1295/PostAtlasMystery_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="1295" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QiPqWHOnwSbmKOzmluzwzpSwMr-J0r71qrcqMHlE8SmCE18dpF1B8I-TT1oYQff60WuAWPgR7aY_DKnJBUDhlxD2Qdu4tBUi18IQ591ATe1C1JuDd45MtWiMgFEzimMpbAiAFGR89vqHt2-TM8yC7-TtiQmHsTFedOK048Cw7sP6qal3zRJ9rSWpWMRe/w400-h183/PostAtlasMystery_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The mystery titles continued right on, though many were casualties of the implosion.</i> Journey into Mystery<i> had also been cancelled but was revived in 1959. Later in 1958, Goodman added the short-lived </i>Strange Worlds<i> book. Yes, </i>Homer<i> isn't a mystery title, but where else was I going to put it?</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And that was a turning point right there. Ditko was assigned stories that highlighted human foibles over spectacle, and Kirby was given widescreen <i>kaiju</i> stories to illustrate. I can't recall Kirby ever claiming that the giant monsters were his idea. It seems likely that Goodman saw <i>Godzilla</i> (1956) - or more probably walked past a theatre showing <i>Godzilla</i> - and said to Stan he wanted giant monster stories. Plus, by 1958, other monster movies would have been and gone in cinemas - <i>Rodan</i> (1957), <i>20 Million Miles to Earth</i> (1957), <i>The Giant Claw</i> (1957) and <i>Varan</i> (1958) - and never let it be said that Goodman was too quick to jump on a trend.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpJ-E2D5Eyq1gqA9dhvlguL8i4RlP6Lit9amoR418FB2KsdO2s4-6zthMs8YZ-bdR-SYbru31wKo_DXEJ79fqkKrHgUtCYDomP954U4UgvNa7OzLT5wRyaflTv9ChCZNUpsjlX5s5srAMFptGfxgocMUn8uThqt5OZVjlJbmu9vUVxuBGHeLhkjBzQCuJ/s1300/AdamEve_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="1300" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpJ-E2D5Eyq1gqA9dhvlguL8i4RlP6Lit9amoR418FB2KsdO2s4-6zthMs8YZ-bdR-SYbru31wKo_DXEJ79fqkKrHgUtCYDomP954U4UgvNa7OzLT5wRyaflTv9ChCZNUpsjlX5s5srAMFptGfxgocMUn8uThqt5OZVjlJbmu9vUVxuBGHeLhkjBzQCuJ/w400-h280/AdamEve_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Spoiler alert! </b>Stan Lee would often recycle stories for the early Marvel fantasy titles. The fact that Stan was still giving scripts to Ditko to draw debunks the idea that Ditko was writing all his own fantasy stories during this period.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And I don't think Ditko can take all the credit for the quieter, more humanistic stories he was drawing. There's a story in <i>Strange Worlds 1</i> (Dec 1958), "I Am the Last Man on Earth", drawn by Don Heck which was retooled as "A Thousand Years Later" in <i>Strange Tales 90</i> (Nov 1961), credited to Lee and Ditko. So even in 1961 Ditko was drawing from scripts given to him by Stan Lee.</p>
<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfXPT7vJg7J5hks269fhErbl1kZRcQknZGjWfBtcrMDEodSJAM_oSJxEQfC8v1h-X_lwgroQZEZ2g2ETkj074z0VgCDF7oXu-bYweNML-C3Gwuzu941BazKlxQx4y_MaWKT4vMWKcHMpob55Ew-NY7Uo8-CMTxjARO7nRsd2Hg5a8q319297PDWmcnKfb/s1283/PostAtlasWar_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="1283" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfXPT7vJg7J5hks269fhErbl1kZRcQknZGjWfBtcrMDEodSJAM_oSJxEQfC8v1h-X_lwgroQZEZ2g2ETkj074z0VgCDF7oXu-bYweNML-C3Gwuzu941BazKlxQx4y_MaWKT4vMWKcHMpob55Ew-NY7Uo8-CMTxjARO7nRsd2Hg5a8q319297PDWmcnKfb/w400-h186/PostAtlasWar_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>War books were a massive part of the Atlas line-up, yet just these titles survived the Atlas meltdown. Goodman wouldn't add another war title until </i>Sgt Fury<i>, some five years later.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Of course none of this is just black or white. I'm sure both Ditko and Kirby were adding details of their own to the stories they were drawing. Stan has said as much himself, and as these two artists in particular showed strong story sense, it would have been logical for Stan to give them freer and freer rein, and to keep assigning them stories that made best use of their individual skills.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LeTXprHntkiUU7uNfDRbk4Yzolh4vixARjkpshQguKY8LQp2KhxULKEWuQRUVturg1M5DtLLwc9gUq7J3MaVZD-4Olk2m5x4frZ6qgDzUegUbxdePI6cLfqMeNUPe_VmusNJKUUydXZXYbqYhzFMciVudy0x2_1WV0kiWosJbfeRuUCLxgha3iy_OGMc/s1742/PostAtlasWestern_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="1742" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LeTXprHntkiUU7uNfDRbk4Yzolh4vixARjkpshQguKY8LQp2KhxULKEWuQRUVturg1M5DtLLwc9gUq7J3MaVZD-4Olk2m5x4frZ6qgDzUegUbxdePI6cLfqMeNUPe_VmusNJKUUydXZXYbqYhzFMciVudy0x2_1WV0kiWosJbfeRuUCLxgha3iy_OGMc/w400-h139/PostAtlasWestern_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Just about all the western titles survived. except for </i>Rawhide Kid<i>. That one was revived in 1960, with Kirby on art chores.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>In 1959, despite having only minimal presence in the Q1 cover-dated Marvels, Stan Lee assigned 36 covers out of the 90 comics published that year to Jack Kirby (and, by contrast, just four to Steve Ditko). The monster books were proving popular, because Martin Goodman had Stan add two new fantasy titles in 1959, <i>Tales to Astonish</i> and <i>Tales of Suspense</i>.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gHSC7cjMEpN215kdT_hdyXwUa4QuzqkSv4_veEnlYYuL0in6drwZnSZWfwZSXl97piT67pWAz9HQU4_MJoG25WKlDzU1YWtjrs5GRnCrA_2xbrpPe2e9zpXk_1aM1jqPt4l0SI_1rzkkMfktkA1pS75D9nXr64xiHDMnckZlp8z48Ea07CpzNGMnq5Ah/s1744/PostAtlasMystery_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1744" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gHSC7cjMEpN215kdT_hdyXwUa4QuzqkSv4_veEnlYYuL0in6drwZnSZWfwZSXl97piT67pWAz9HQU4_MJoG25WKlDzU1YWtjrs5GRnCrA_2xbrpPe2e9zpXk_1aM1jqPt4l0SI_1rzkkMfktkA1pS75D9nXr64xiHDMnckZlp8z48Ea07CpzNGMnq5Ah/w400-h139/PostAtlasMystery_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>As the 1950s drew to a close, Goodman was adding more monster books, mostly spearheaded by the Kirby-drawn epics. They would be the backbone of the evolving Marvel Comics into the 1960s.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Towards the end of 1959, both <i>Astonish</i> and <i>Suspense</i> became monthlies along with <i>Journey into Mystery</i> and <i>Strange Tales</i>. The effect was that in 1960, Kirby produced 58 covers out of 103 comics published (Ditko just one). In 1961, that would rise to 73 covers from 119 comics (and four by Ditko). The trend was definitely upwards, as Kirby produced a larger and larger proportion of Marvel's output.</p>
<p>So the nascent Marvel Comics wasn't struggling for sales at this point. In likelihood, it was Stan's canny editorial instinct to feature the art of Kirby and Ditko that was boosting the fortunes of the monster books, as well as what he was bringing to the enterprise with his friendly, informal editorial tone - which was a big change-up from the slightly po-faced DC Comics - and his dialogue, where the characters actually spoke like real people.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_24L5j70IrLkOEo19PpZTUrZ2XR6fuxJTk4dWGbhaAZD9pE1MLzqWmCMINCdvrMLVPCUsSmDlhyH-5JIF1S7GZKGd9tG-GJTDHZ1zQ1JgxmC3rYX5vz3Eggq3LkUZp2VODV82mIW7cWukQY0Eij98RG5uni08gse4KfegKTjnAqTGGsopcHbG2ptl9d8I/s600/Lee-Kirby.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="600" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_24L5j70IrLkOEo19PpZTUrZ2XR6fuxJTk4dWGbhaAZD9pE1MLzqWmCMINCdvrMLVPCUsSmDlhyH-5JIF1S7GZKGd9tG-GJTDHZ1zQ1JgxmC3rYX5vz3Eggq3LkUZp2VODV82mIW7cWukQY0Eij98RG5uni08gse4KfegKTjnAqTGGsopcHbG2ptl9d8I/w400-h343/Lee-Kirby.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Left to right:</b> Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in happier times at the Cartoonists Society in 1966 - I've not been able to identify the other two, but the man standing might be Carmine Infantino. I have no idea who the chap with spectacles is.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And far from destroying Jack Kirby's career, Stan Lee gave him a much needed second chance and, further, promoted him as the chief artist for the entire Marvel line which, within a few years, was outselling DC.</p>
<p>So, that claim that Jack Kirby rocked up to Atlas/Marvel which was about to go under and gave them the ready-made books <i>Fantastic Four </i>(whether inspired by the Simon and Kirby project <i>Challengers of the Unknown</i> or not), <i>Ant-Man</i>, <i>Thor</i>, <i>Hulk</i> and even <i>Spider-Man</i> is simply not true.</p>
<p>But the question that some "fans" are incapable of letting go of - and argue endlessly over - is, Who did what during the formative years at Marvel? Yet I don't think it's a hugely difficult question.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7wZC9kB9JWYdn5FfoiNSFpDdPKxaFDBAIvDuhTVqoJK4vNUu3QLvAA-YA12bzVHEXnhIrzPRt8IP2xQpO5Uqs7u9TQ6OPKiMI7oLO-IbiaeJi3od57qAOc-ido9oqVwEVbyw3rrb1pCPcJH8KT7WnBsfWWcN05wrBuUlP2upQMO3Z5uxeTU0BE3Jbb4A/s2150/StansVoice.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="2150" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7wZC9kB9JWYdn5FfoiNSFpDdPKxaFDBAIvDuhTVqoJK4vNUu3QLvAA-YA12bzVHEXnhIrzPRt8IP2xQpO5Uqs7u9TQ6OPKiMI7oLO-IbiaeJi3od57qAOc-ido9oqVwEVbyw3rrb1pCPcJH8KT7WnBsfWWcN05wrBuUlP2upQMO3Z5uxeTU0BE3Jbb4A/w400-h188/StansVoice.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stan's voice - his style of writing - is all through the Marvels of the early to mid 1960s. You'll see it in the captions and dialogue balloons in the stories, on the letters pages and in the Bullpen Bulletins. <b>Click to enlarge</b>.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Stan Lee was a Big Picture guy. As Editor, his job was to ensure the quality of material that went into Marvel Comics was of a certain standard. And that went beyond just the comic strips. Stan also created the Voice of Marvel ... the slightly irreverent, sort of cool-sounding uncle. He made sure that the stories and editorial pages all appeared to have been written by the same person, and made us kids feel like Stan/Marvel was our pal. And that the rest of the Bullpen were our pals, too. It's extremely likely that Stan also pitched in loads of ideas for the stories. We know that Stan loved villains named after animals and there's many, many examples of those in the Marvel stories of the early 1960s. And finally, the other job of the editor is to act as an ambassador for - and the voice of - The Brand. And we know he certainly did that. Just about all the references to Stan being "the creator" of Marvel Comics are almost always down to lazy or indifferent journalism. Reporters don't care about - nor believe their readers care about - the minutia of who does what at a comic company most of the audience have never heard of. So most of the stuff Lee is pilloried for, even after his death, was pretty much out of his control.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePeDxRSbShlCeag25E3mwy0OGUSXO-oGaGmVBp6FhRG1iLLyzAU2LL6JYMS_rwPZcfm7ohLXX6CrG80YPLJilexuXxgigVAq5hxNHv-TpBlpkg3IR6nB9YUMUe2CUoU6gxNzx38-P8GvAMWzXyGXtjO2VQM5YjxefkBX0lihIV95dahKjypqU2qDexU74/s2150/JacksVoice.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="2150" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePeDxRSbShlCeag25E3mwy0OGUSXO-oGaGmVBp6FhRG1iLLyzAU2LL6JYMS_rwPZcfm7ohLXX6CrG80YPLJilexuXxgigVAq5hxNHv-TpBlpkg3IR6nB9YUMUe2CUoU6gxNzx38-P8GvAMWzXyGXtjO2VQM5YjxefkBX0lihIV95dahKjypqU2qDexU74/w400-h190/JacksVoice.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jack's voice is quite different in the comics he wrote the captions and dialogue for other comics around the time he was beginning to contribute to Marvel Comics. But when he got to the Fourth Worlds books of the 1970s, his writing style took on a different flavour.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>On the other hand, Jack Kirby (and Ditko, to some extent) was a details guy, who never really saw or cared about the Big Picture. It never occurred to Jack that Stan was taking care of Business at a much higher level, by editing Jack's scripting suggestions to bring them into line with the Marvel style, a style that spilled over into the responses on the letters pages and later, the Bullpen Bulletins. You can tell that Jack wasn't a Big Picture kind of creator, because the Fourth World stories that he did for DC in the early 1970s - where Jack was editing his own material - were a pretty chaotic offering. A bunch of terrific ideas not very well tied together and often abandoned before they were properly explored. And rereading some of those DC stories recently, I realised that, for all Jack's disdain for Stan Lee and the Marvel style, he was actually trying to imitate Stan's voice in the scripting of those books. Just compare any pre-Marvel 1950s work that Jack says he scripted with the Fourth World captions and dialogue and you'll see what I mean.</p><p>I really don't get why Stan Lee has been singled out for such vilification by a certain type of comic "fan". Goodness knows there are other, more unpleasant, personalities scattered throughout the history of comics. And focussing on what Stan did or didn't create within the Marvel comic stories is to completely lose sight of the real reasons for Marvel's 1960s success. What we fans - who were actually there at the time - bought into was the overall Package. Marvel wouldn't have worked without the great stories. And it wouldn't have worked without the supporting framework of the letters pages and Bullpen Bulletins, which reinforced the Voice of Marvel in our heads. If you find that Stan's voice doesn't resonate with you now, well, that's because he was a product of the times and you really had to experience it <i>In Context</i> during the period in which it was created. And if you still don't get it, just accept that it was never intended for you ...</p>
<p><b>Next: Invasion of the floating heads</b></p>
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<p><br /></p><p></p>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-87889229719169377502023-07-10T02:04:00.004-07:002023-09-11T00:44:50.864-07:00What If: Da Vinci drew comic covers?<p><b>MY A-LEVEL ART TEACHER, MR HUSSEIN</b>, would always talk about the importance of composition when it came to paintings and drawings. In fact he went to far as to spend one entire lesson showing us how to find the geometrical shapes in classical paintings, then he encouraged us to use the same techniques in our artwork.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmGnLSoySAiIyjnrOPefOoLcx06c0JN2QjQ0iELClHs0G7i9OJ40-B52toa5p0nmAN4ocI1AGTT6HZw4yyEIe6M5y5gLabPbck6r3Dtf_4yNJ7wL7UVL9QNqAGnJ5bkXsXWwCSS0EmtpV240BxuyGIx8m477n3BM7Qt594VNYsNVdIlv_SXIySTnA4g/s1500/VitruvianMan2_GoldenProportions.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1500" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmGnLSoySAiIyjnrOPefOoLcx06c0JN2QjQ0iELClHs0G7i9OJ40-B52toa5p0nmAN4ocI1AGTT6HZw4yyEIe6M5y5gLabPbck6r3Dtf_4yNJ7wL7UVL9QNqAGnJ5bkXsXWwCSS0EmtpV240BxuyGIx8m477n3BM7Qt594VNYsNVdIlv_SXIySTnA4g/w400-h388/VitruvianMan2_GoldenProportions.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man can be used to demonstrate how the Golden Rectangle works.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>There was also much talk of Golden Triangles, and Golden Rectangles, and even something called the Fibonacci Spiral, but I'd stopped listening by that point. It wasn't until I became involved in the magazine industry years later that I began to grasp the basic building blocks of design and was astounded to realise how this all played back into Mr Hussein's art class back in 1971.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdiNIPOsDVhFumSypVzO2TwzG-nKphu5RKZ8XcZDiJh831BX3GiXz7FYVNmBH76zRSwlFrvcn8it7fwHkfUCVMzaVeyrlgY6oCpdl7mFHB5FRQS3OM139tT8BRbjYX2Z-jeh_e020CBNhht_XhThzb1T3G3sOv1PFN50wPGMwn3HEKJbbqqrDWXa2Hg/s640/Vitruvian_Fibonacci.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdiNIPOsDVhFumSypVzO2TwzG-nKphu5RKZ8XcZDiJh831BX3GiXz7FYVNmBH76zRSwlFrvcn8it7fwHkfUCVMzaVeyrlgY6oCpdl7mFHB5FRQS3OM139tT8BRbjYX2Z-jeh_e020CBNhht_XhThzb1T3G3sOv1PFN50wPGMwn3HEKJbbqqrDWXa2Hg/s320/Vitruvian_Fibonacci.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>You can even apply the Fibonacci Spiral - another way of interpreting the Golden Rectangle - to the Vitruvian Man - but we'll get into that a bit more later.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Then, when I started writing this blog and looking back at comic covers throughout the history of the medium (who hasn't thrilled to <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2013/12/separated-at-birth-comic-covers.html">Separated at Birth - A comic covers interlude</a> and <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2019/08/separated-at-birth-2-another-comic.html">Separated at Birth 2 - Another comic covers interlude</a>?), I began to notice similar patterns beginning to emerge.</p>
<p>These were most noticeable, at first, on some of the DC covers, possible because they are simple and direct. But as I became aware of it, the geometric shapes the artists were using to create their covers around just leapt off the page.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxYgsxDoqcxD0vW1lYPmTZlXrql2VOWNulmsuyiRXmrv6RQc6yAqaqYzFbG00LKSnkIX7ENm-BsMngVwyKF0LivhHt2STky1ir_yuFuTJjp7FICdHQSLcEMPmNgk0UQynSc4w-SPqif9PTJaQdz8SgE5MxRF6QpEM8mRZR2ZQuvDapCUXcCSbeM9XEg/s590/Superboy109_12-63.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxYgsxDoqcxD0vW1lYPmTZlXrql2VOWNulmsuyiRXmrv6RQc6yAqaqYzFbG00LKSnkIX7ENm-BsMngVwyKF0LivhHt2STky1ir_yuFuTJjp7FICdHQSLcEMPmNgk0UQynSc4w-SPqif9PTJaQdz8SgE5MxRF6QpEM8mRZR2ZQuvDapCUXcCSbeM9XEg/s320/Superboy109_12-63.jpeg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I think this was the first comic cover where I noticed a strong geometric shape - c'n you tell what it is, yet?</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>At DC, during the early Silver Age, the editors mostly dictated what they wanted the covers to show. Often, the covers would be created before the interior story and art, and the covers would dictate the interior content. Some editors would recycle cover ideas, Julius Schwartz probably being the worst offender. But to the best of my knowledge, there wasn't an Art Editor laying out cover designs and handing them to the cover artists. Some artists had a good nose for design, and some didn't.</p>
<p>Over at Marvel, in the early part of the 1960s, there was no formal art editor, either. Stan Lee would check over covers - which were usually drawn <i>after</i> the interior art - as they came from the art department (headed by Sol Brodsky) and make suggestions, order changes or even reject cover art. It wasn't until later that first Marie Severin and then John Romita would create design layouts for cover artists to follow.</p><p>So I think it's fair to conclude that at least in the early part of the Silver Ager, cover artists at both DC and Marvel were just trying to create striking and attention-grabbing cover art, and probably were adopting these geometric cover layouts without much conscious thought.</p>
<p>Here then, without too much comment from me, are some of the more obvious examples. You can probably have a lot of fun looking for the hidden layout shapes among your own collection, and see whether you can spot any trends.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">TRIANGLES</h3>
<p>For me, I think, the easiest shape to spot behind the layout of a single image, like a painting or a comic cover, is the Triangle.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGilYMmKruxyO24FJoxIKGdBwNVbcZuByg66NsXEiZai26XpoC9pz9RqFVphozHRbtVa-flngQ3R8BdLAjA0F-CosXE1u67QOl_qeug-IpJYv50NHiIwrQDuvRYrhCtBPeYKo-KJkxHYN8hQulOpYhOK6K9v3I72x1WRH2Z97-avuqJulDLvAnWCSwg/s1843/CanigianiHolyFamily_Raphael.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1843" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGilYMmKruxyO24FJoxIKGdBwNVbcZuByg66NsXEiZai26XpoC9pz9RqFVphozHRbtVa-flngQ3R8BdLAjA0F-CosXE1u67QOl_qeug-IpJYv50NHiIwrQDuvRYrhCtBPeYKo-KJkxHYN8hQulOpYhOK6K9v3I72x1WRH2Z97-avuqJulDLvAnWCSwg/w325-h400/CanigianiHolyFamily_Raphael.jpeg" width="325" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Canigiani Holy Family by Renaissance superstar artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (better known as Raphael), painted between 1507 and 1508.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>This is one of the strongest and most common layout configurations. Often used to convey a sense of strength, balance or stability, it's so predominant that I doubt the artists knew, in many cases, that they were using it.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg40NwlbFG7vlswbi28cw8WDyniEDRipGOEEhI6Uat2AlOkivw4PUCaLfNEVpt49gGBMTuOXobCeZrPvWXP3WWPBqaSW1CHZeuIDXvUWZSkQ1Y4CTEWXhunYXMGm117I3T4hoUsQ3eLI2tXbvedIJVcKCDzvopUNs-ytzNKo7q9kMgPmtjBq2LJwMIEBFK/s1313/DC_Triangle_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="1313" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg40NwlbFG7vlswbi28cw8WDyniEDRipGOEEhI6Uat2AlOkivw4PUCaLfNEVpt49gGBMTuOXobCeZrPvWXP3WWPBqaSW1CHZeuIDXvUWZSkQ1Y4CTEWXhunYXMGm117I3T4hoUsQ3eLI2tXbvedIJVcKCDzvopUNs-ytzNKo7q9kMgPmtjBq2LJwMIEBFK/w400-h179/DC_Triangle_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Three DC covers with strong triangular layouts. Cover artist Curt Swan always had a strong sense of design, so I'm not sure that anyone handed him a hasty pencil sketch and said, "Do it like this." <b>Click to enlarge.</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Meanwhile, over at Marvel, Jack Kirby would often use a triangular layout on his covers, most noticeable on some of his most powerful cover designs. The earliest example I could find was the cover of <i>Journey into Mystery 85</i> (Oct 1962), which introduced Thor's arch-enemy Loki in an eye-grabbing example ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRZ0MGRnUk2qDBbRnHhU60lDryh91XZYWcYQzgW6HXdgLdvemKr1hhxBpBKMmXnV5BWkQVjkatahb93qf1mWH8w5TDuHMbcNqTQjZHXjCLhE3zpywQODxwK3dD0l356WQx3gzAj8tqWj9wzwvQPZYl9ydkkaxcm-UBNdfBQKD1Bmc5MwU78iYUZwwcQ/s597/JiM085_10-62.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRZ0MGRnUk2qDBbRnHhU60lDryh91XZYWcYQzgW6HXdgLdvemKr1hhxBpBKMmXnV5BWkQVjkatahb93qf1mWH8w5TDuHMbcNqTQjZHXjCLhE3zpywQODxwK3dD0l356WQx3gzAj8tqWj9wzwvQPZYl9ydkkaxcm-UBNdfBQKD1Bmc5MwU78iYUZwwcQ/w268-h400/JiM085_10-62.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The triangular layout definitely brings a touch of power and dominance <br />to the scene of Loki's challenge.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And look at this Kirby cover, depicting Thor in a simple, but powerful, take on the triangular design.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM4b3ycawfSnRNrDz-7bwAmJZmrLfW0oPS_S5ctx_wAsJhm6SkKaVeFCulFSKTYiWhvraQigYPlgS5AMaTyiZGzc9WmuCtaGr9KrK6oAnCk3vYTw9z_FVvlQf3iOc79KbXVmPAm8-uwfM4Nv-0dR-z60GvcVypo7mwbbHNed0kbk_TdqBEdKEeZKrIg/s604/JiM125_02-66.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiM4b3ycawfSnRNrDz-7bwAmJZmrLfW0oPS_S5ctx_wAsJhm6SkKaVeFCulFSKTYiWhvraQigYPlgS5AMaTyiZGzc9WmuCtaGr9KrK6oAnCk3vYTw9z_FVvlQf3iOc79KbXVmPAm8-uwfM4Nv-0dR-z60GvcVypo7mwbbHNed0kbk_TdqBEdKEeZKrIg/w265-h400/JiM125_02-66.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Journey into Mystery 125 (Feb 1966)<i> shows a powerful image of Thor ... graceful, stable, the classic immoveable object.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>On the <i>Captain America</i> title, Kirby would return again and again to the triangular layout, conveying a variety of different moods ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhj4GWC3MimWz2fdFTCzeUsX0m_c3tRFwQea0uqHdEk1ju_mlHL1Ae5QhQWeRh75fmOnoy9Xy7MztPC2ali9IbCbcNe6t4mIces5NZid4NDbvmlpRvmt-huqDlmMbZuLnkwa66qCEPxEHd9WmYvfNTLiNMWb3Vj_6o-1nu54sllt-E4F4J-Pf0kdFNw/s1317/CA100-106_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="1317" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhj4GWC3MimWz2fdFTCzeUsX0m_c3tRFwQea0uqHdEk1ju_mlHL1Ae5QhQWeRh75fmOnoy9Xy7MztPC2ali9IbCbcNe6t4mIces5NZid4NDbvmlpRvmt-huqDlmMbZuLnkwa66qCEPxEHd9WmYvfNTLiNMWb3Vj_6o-1nu54sllt-E4F4J-Pf0kdFNw/w400-h185/CA100-106_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Once Captain America took over </i>Tales of Suspense<i>, Kirby cut loose with some wonderfully arresting covers, some of his best ...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>It was so effective that Kirby's successor on Captain America, Jim Steranko, would also use the same geometric layout style.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRPkXpCljvSc37nu0MNyjQnnFQ4QNGOajv9iJz1kFYX_jErEucPVFVYOtpR26FVNKp0Qfy5cPjmivmXvUvIQLn58GZB_Ld98fIThfETEtrxfi58KLkO2F8DgfHxvOOCWZ2Y6G0_XticQjqCAJen0gvAKUWFPO63_WYEFXgg10tUVjEX_RhsRznKF6cA/s860/CA111-113_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="860" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRPkXpCljvSc37nu0MNyjQnnFQ4QNGOajv9iJz1kFYX_jErEucPVFVYOtpR26FVNKp0Qfy5cPjmivmXvUvIQLn58GZB_Ld98fIThfETEtrxfi58KLkO2F8DgfHxvOOCWZ2Y6G0_XticQjqCAJen0gvAKUWFPO63_WYEFXgg10tUVjEX_RhsRznKF6cA/w400-h283/CA111-113_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jim Steranko has always displayed an eye for graphic layout. Here, his deceptively simple covers would have just leapt off the newsstands.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And on <i>Fantastic Four, </i>too Kirby was working that triangle. Look at these fabulous covers, for examples of how strong the layout can be.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7r9e9UwfTC10C5G82CNKoA7RPaUixpLx7xwljs5P_rlnptkuKEsWxnHwV7NGKOYmYn0d7l4ixUhx4rKl442a1jAyX_JRZ0ZpkoaBuCnDnohy4Joj9FtXZGlRux1aWZEA03voEnE3jX-ROL6HJ2CTe3VZ52D4nr_-5e5YAWoNsP62bZabRRpg0SGp__w/s1303/ff049-064_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1303" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7r9e9UwfTC10C5G82CNKoA7RPaUixpLx7xwljs5P_rlnptkuKEsWxnHwV7NGKOYmYn0d7l4ixUhx4rKl442a1jAyX_JRZ0ZpkoaBuCnDnohy4Joj9FtXZGlRux1aWZEA03voEnE3jX-ROL6HJ2CTe3VZ52D4nr_-5e5YAWoNsP62bZabRRpg0SGp__w/w400-h184/ff049-064_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Thing cover on </i>Fantastic Four 51<i> (Jun 1966) is considered a classic. Kirby like it so much he more or less re-used the image as the splash page of the story, too, and revisited the idea a few more times during his run on the title.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But the technique wasn't exclusive to Jack Kirby ... others also, besides Steranko, used strong triangle configurations in their cover art. </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgwg6lKwJwauWrgy2nzW6p2vr_uH_xSnSq-kJLy4mVXVyGaRUftsBvaWQ9xVkiDKlvJFnDAttUMXEvYb330g1I-Gw6DtxcDzumPpYmQw5LKa9Yl2J9f9bFla3BryEqDClk2YeGMPv9CVBVVfY_pHDDtL8dJ1TGLdBLMgYy7MT-VmTfmSYzHzlPioE3g/s1323/CaptMarvel-Spidey-Hulk_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1323" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgwg6lKwJwauWrgy2nzW6p2vr_uH_xSnSq-kJLy4mVXVyGaRUftsBvaWQ9xVkiDKlvJFnDAttUMXEvYb330g1I-Gw6DtxcDzumPpYmQw5LKa9Yl2J9f9bFla3BryEqDClk2YeGMPv9CVBVVfY_pHDDtL8dJ1TGLdBLMgYy7MT-VmTfmSYzHzlPioE3g/w400-h183/CaptMarvel-Spidey-Hulk_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Here's Gene Colan, John Romita and Herb Trimpe all grabbing a piece of the triangle-shaped cover fun.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Beyond the simple triangle, there's also a more complex shape, often referred to by classical art scholars as The Golden Triangle ... </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxirtIhsSNkSJkZxhH-fxGE8zQa_wfEHkCpB6sJo6vB8_07XxsDxTq4Y7vKt4qVFUEnM70i4PYWraiV2d6L7AxowWWIMkzSVmAnlBp-fE8pIckvMKy1lBOJN5rWApqsRGT2BgZ-RdJE58DKsF7x3-GGIGlfNYEbx5NoXj-lviZCGmPFbrS9hjtnPzTQ/s1200/Snyders_Dogs_fighting_demonstrating_Golden_Triangle_composition_method.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxirtIhsSNkSJkZxhH-fxGE8zQa_wfEHkCpB6sJo6vB8_07XxsDxTq4Y7vKt4qVFUEnM70i4PYWraiV2d6L7AxowWWIMkzSVmAnlBp-fE8pIckvMKy1lBOJN5rWApqsRGT2BgZ-RdJE58DKsF7x3-GGIGlfNYEbx5NoXj-lviZCGmPFbrS9hjtnPzTQ/w400-h283/Snyders_Dogs_fighting_demonstrating_Golden_Triangle_composition_method.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dogs Fighting in a Wooded Clearing by Frans Snyders (1579-1657) demonstrates the more complex Golden Triangle layout.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>... and I found a few examples of comic covers that fit that class of geometric layout, as well. Here's a Superboy from the early 1960s:<br /></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEmkMVurGyRwgqXKixRoP0vpu1c9TGR1ekak0s3uYuqLhw5qafgnPvT6HU6Z1SwnsoEjZEPReqrEumvZaa0pjg_J7bK9Ag3bAfH27wAAs0vRMqCqFOUhy7-378scmvajOLJVbSEm-9c9YNHQDo1pjsU0LULftC-mE9XB_IiAYX7G58cJyTsaN6knKKQ/s588/Superboy094_01-62.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEmkMVurGyRwgqXKixRoP0vpu1c9TGR1ekak0s3uYuqLhw5qafgnPvT6HU6Z1SwnsoEjZEPReqrEumvZaa0pjg_J7bK9Ag3bAfH27wAAs0vRMqCqFOUhy7-378scmvajOLJVbSEm-9c9YNHQDo1pjsU0LULftC-mE9XB_IiAYX7G58cJyTsaN6knKKQ/s320/Superboy094_01-62.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The mighty Curt Swan makes this cover design look deceptively simple, but when the Golden Triangle shape is overlaid, you can see how clever the design is.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Here's an example from Jack Kirby ... I wonder if Jack even knew that this was a Golden Triangle. Probably, as he did briefly attend The Pratt Institute in New York, though I've not been able to figure out which department of the School of Art Kirby was in. </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3VpJcfHHfjrWpJpaCMkowCDFAKEj7i51E_lSLznrZNF4usPy-iBYnS6MtnsXp5BEqywej6fJioCrPox5pRCBkEjT62TXcXQjcITFd3IpdW2MVMZFzqs0q5Kif-UFQYPgRcpSUIut83Hc7UPxSQ-BbLs49pzSr-B0KvRbdOb46HhK2LA4zEj-jDdfQg/s604/ff036_03-65.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3VpJcfHHfjrWpJpaCMkowCDFAKEj7i51E_lSLznrZNF4usPy-iBYnS6MtnsXp5BEqywej6fJioCrPox5pRCBkEjT62TXcXQjcITFd3IpdW2MVMZFzqs0q5Kif-UFQYPgRcpSUIut83Hc7UPxSQ-BbLs49pzSr-B0KvRbdOb46HhK2LA4zEj-jDdfQg/s320/ff036_03-65.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Unconscious or deliberate use of the Golden Triangle ... you decide.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And here's a later example from Marvel, John Buscema on the cover for <i>Avengers 51</i> (Apr 1968):</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq09NEFqtjL1Rw1mWGbxylEFp0-KpEuJa2Qdr-zuRBH7FKQIylDyKILOeoFayRhk92EgcA69aSV9Iw823v61IR_uPzc-3K0_u91cViXpXys35hH4Cqwd4Dytkli8dqaAgFv7quuMFxDWoxHOv11_xOh8vQJblyXCWt7wW0Dcb6G6ycJRVMEDkjA-zqhA/s601/Avengers051_04-68.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq09NEFqtjL1Rw1mWGbxylEFp0-KpEuJa2Qdr-zuRBH7FKQIylDyKILOeoFayRhk92EgcA69aSV9Iw823v61IR_uPzc-3K0_u91cViXpXys35hH4Cqwd4Dytkli8dqaAgFv7quuMFxDWoxHOv11_xOh8vQJblyXCWt7wW0Dcb6G6ycJRVMEDkjA-zqhA/s320/Avengers051_04-68.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I think its fair to say that John Buscema more than any other comic artist (except maybe Burne Hogarth) was the most influenced by classical art.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And finally, remember that <i>Superboy</i> cover I showed at the start of this section? Well, that uses two triangles as its basic layout, just one example of how shapes can be repeated, or even combined to produce something a little more complicated or interesting.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimc8HbGJBYk3XoKgMzwwuZveJB9wxCCVFFq7Tpbf90ENVwYXtlCe2L4nXADMhWjt6bjgekYgl7jjYRiMgoLIw40e8jq3eEtspyTkqPls1ySL8gVqtXp3UORhUZspL1ZWVRJGqQb7loEViQv-EDKGZL8wSoymYb3FUoBWkL_k_k6im2H1y43T4CjWdqA/s590/Superboy109_12-63.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimc8HbGJBYk3XoKgMzwwuZveJB9wxCCVFFq7Tpbf90ENVwYXtlCe2L4nXADMhWjt6bjgekYgl7jjYRiMgoLIw40e8jq3eEtspyTkqPls1ySL8gVqtXp3UORhUZspL1ZWVRJGqQb7loEViQv-EDKGZL8wSoymYb3FUoBWkL_k_k6im2H1y43T4CjWdqA/s320/Superboy109_12-63.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Although I'm sometimes critical of the content of DC's covers, I've always loved Curt Swan's draftsmanship. On </i>Superboy 109<i> (Dec 1963), he also demonstrates that he's a master of design.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>No one ever said you couldn't have more than one geometric shape underlying a picture's composition. In fact, artist will often repeat shapes, or even combine different ones to achieve a striking visual design ... but more on that later.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">CROSSES</h3>
<p>Another common type of layout is where the major elements in a picture follow the lines of a cross. It's not hard to find strong examples of a cross composition in classical art.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1id2HW1U7fW8tYk74gg_kfcV24qwAXiwwkDTKqP4V9DajqYPo4-aMIOe95cdWtoHsbnNdVJpeSP4EG4qxDfHPJZYm2rtPK702yn2WXzfli4sd3muLEwS1mK1lcZZwNc20KT8bWsaWTG62SI4_KlO9jV25RTFhpHYZPWo8qypVayzJE78HELjpNIkkg/s1001/The-Swing-by-Jean-Honore-Fragonard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1001" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1id2HW1U7fW8tYk74gg_kfcV24qwAXiwwkDTKqP4V9DajqYPo4-aMIOe95cdWtoHsbnNdVJpeSP4EG4qxDfHPJZYm2rtPK702yn2WXzfli4sd3muLEwS1mK1lcZZwNc20KT8bWsaWTG62SI4_KlO9jV25RTFhpHYZPWo8qypVayzJE78HELjpNIkkg/w400-h299/The-Swing-by-Jean-Honore-Fragonard.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Swing was commissioned from Jean-Honere Fragonard, to depict the mistress of a member of the French Court. I don't think it's a coincidence that the lines intersect where they do ...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Once it has been pointed out, you can quickly apply the same principle to comic book covers, where it's often (but not always) used to evoke a sense of conflict.</p>
<p>I found a couple of early Silver Age examples of the cross composition from DC ... and wouldn't you know it? The artist is Carmine Infantino ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCugm1WVIvuTCHeArWBsISOo1G8IQ8Ef7mYPdq95GBbMH007eOEuR06F51PcaodBavWUb1ill0gPlMBiFc1TF9__Ko5wbokYk1eVMymY0A-r70PwvUL0AEpvXDECfeaAQMZ3T6UG3ZgwiBxqS6RHtM5MPBDpaWa1Mj65oiK8MJIwc60EKUUfiGbakJg/s850/Flash117-144_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="850" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCugm1WVIvuTCHeArWBsISOo1G8IQ8Ef7mYPdq95GBbMH007eOEuR06F51PcaodBavWUb1ill0gPlMBiFc1TF9__Ko5wbokYk1eVMymY0A-r70PwvUL0AEpvXDECfeaAQMZ3T6UG3ZgwiBxqS6RHtM5MPBDpaWa1Mj65oiK8MJIwc60EKUUfiGbakJg/w400-h280/Flash117-144_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I think these two examples from early issues of </i>The Flash <i>make a good illustration of the concept.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But it's Marvel that I'll focus on ... and where better to start with a conflict-based concept than <i>Sgt Fury and His Screaming Ab-Dabs</i>, and these classic early covers by Jack Kirby?</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4spbokayWVCO70pNw1Sd4CLNhsi9_4AV_BdkqRExM3kOYjHSm6Es_OwZZKqYYpLb8SK9t5nkOSqOX0CZZdmyTY9DOXALrK4DAuyd5yLs8McnJ8QKUo9R3A6AOrgQZCz2wUgiOEmj-Cu6ykBZbUpsrXh0ed0Blgvupka5dthlAyuHR82IBliPBBuv8A/s1305/SgtFury005-008_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1305" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4spbokayWVCO70pNw1Sd4CLNhsi9_4AV_BdkqRExM3kOYjHSm6Es_OwZZKqYYpLb8SK9t5nkOSqOX0CZZdmyTY9DOXALrK4DAuyd5yLs8McnJ8QKUo9R3A6AOrgQZCz2wUgiOEmj-Cu6ykBZbUpsrXh0ed0Blgvupka5dthlAyuHR82IBliPBBuv8A/w400-h186/SgtFury005-008_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I can see a circle in the layout of </i>Sgt Fury 6<i> as well, and I'll offer some examples of compound compositions later on in this entry.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Kirby would also apply the cross composition to superheroes comics, as well. Here's a couple of examples from <i>Journey into Mystery</i> with Thor.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvv4-NQdAksWzBfgDTgEcY1wvUuSDfpuUFEk_cGz4h5GgrsO8AucPH3qeonUlEFaLeHiqVhKWKU60ZQ7FSSJRKK5mzK-EZjGiqmRSDhuM2JOuLSECK1Yemwm50_gLqKAm8-ZzTgqRR5isnvUrtRd5G5cnZapcrjY_qA7Jk_2IVNKUtC8sCLjAqN6TtQ/s850/JiM095-104_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="850" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvv4-NQdAksWzBfgDTgEcY1wvUuSDfpuUFEk_cGz4h5GgrsO8AucPH3qeonUlEFaLeHiqVhKWKU60ZQ7FSSJRKK5mzK-EZjGiqmRSDhuM2JOuLSECK1Yemwm50_gLqKAm8-ZzTgqRR5isnvUrtRd5G5cnZapcrjY_qA7Jk_2IVNKUtC8sCLjAqN6TtQ/w400-h283/JiM095-104_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In </i>JiM 95<i> (Aug 1963) you can see that the attack line runs from Thor's evil duplicate to the real Thor ... the line that goes through the real Thor's body is the defence line ... the concept isn't used in quite the same way in </i>JiM 104<i> (May 1964), but still a strong design.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>How about these <i>Fantastic Four</i> covers, all showing a strong element of conflict, or threat of conflict?</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEing_xAV1cD-JQZQv5sv_O_yvThHOdNum6oVtta6c80DN4-Tm5rNhbCbtFxhljp3aTzy7PcmiccQY256zeX9VCnyd1Cen6z5XKwOoDwzjZB58nZk-xcBi0p-i0hjZGh_8uLGabt1cqM8AjevpXTkIUc7tVDdns8wdGbsOeynh5jwauP3_OZqPJNLmPusQ/s1317/ff045-62_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="1317" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEing_xAV1cD-JQZQv5sv_O_yvThHOdNum6oVtta6c80DN4-Tm5rNhbCbtFxhljp3aTzy7PcmiccQY256zeX9VCnyd1Cen6z5XKwOoDwzjZB58nZk-xcBi0p-i0hjZGh_8uLGabt1cqM8AjevpXTkIUc7tVDdns8wdGbsOeynh5jwauP3_OZqPJNLmPusQ/w400-h184/ff045-62_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All quite similar in concept to </i>JiM 95<i> ... with a clear attack line and defence line in each case. Interesting how on </i>FF 58<i> (Jan 1967), Wyatt is not the quite the same line as the rest of the FF ... because he's not actually part of the team.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>To round off, here's a couple of <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> covers by the first two artists to draw the series, the late great Steve Ditko, and his worthy successor John Romita.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoTHjbDyAAT0bxGE1AFG_bG6ZDVJvbhXz2ZY-FF3Jmp6hJZLkHsamR6GGlHJw1Q1f_h9kx4f6YZeFhH9lhXIHkvC9ez-xxUNIEGlfAcury7C9YgvlIX4Ow3mvkMwvtCIE60AUUcc1HWhz23IfHnCTfRVTuKCdBcbaxyrXMvr56OUdLCWeITmjV4vlJA/s850/ASM017-40_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="850" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoTHjbDyAAT0bxGE1AFG_bG6ZDVJvbhXz2ZY-FF3Jmp6hJZLkHsamR6GGlHJw1Q1f_h9kx4f6YZeFhH9lhXIHkvC9ez-xxUNIEGlfAcury7C9YgvlIX4Ow3mvkMwvtCIE60AUUcc1HWhz23IfHnCTfRVTuKCdBcbaxyrXMvr56OUdLCWeITmjV4vlJA/w400-h285/ASM017-40_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's quite remarkable how two artists who'd never worked together, and probably hadn't even met, could come up with two such strong cross-based designs for the same character.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And because my classical art example at the beginning of this section was a bit cheeky, here's a stronger version of the cross-composition by Renoir, where all the eyelines quite literally line up.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2ipbMiPakNep4mD73mRcmcIPD9uoN8fWVnmaNYC-dTpoQBLaenRayIrzqqKffI_IxoA_Nb8KQwE1E9P4spyaKBwMWbVCssf9GnNdoUeg6dSi8YffnpmALNPskCsV4jFU2PS88RdHJjqvUHMBpb_15VfPLTxFdG5Bglhh9yFA_AW6HoT9AtmxGDri0g/s1200/Luncheon_of_the_Boating_Party_Renoir_1881.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2ipbMiPakNep4mD73mRcmcIPD9uoN8fWVnmaNYC-dTpoQBLaenRayIrzqqKffI_IxoA_Nb8KQwE1E9P4spyaKBwMWbVCssf9GnNdoUeg6dSi8YffnpmALNPskCsV4jFU2PS88RdHJjqvUHMBpb_15VfPLTxFdG5Bglhh9yFA_AW6HoT9AtmxGDri0g/w400-h266/Luncheon_of_the_Boating_Party_Renoir_1881.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre Auguste Renoir, painted around 1881, is a hugely influential painting and a keystone work of the Impressionist movement.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><br /></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">CIRCLES</h3>
<p>In this context, not all the circles I'll show you will be perfect circles ... some will be more oval. But let's not quibble ... for a design which swirls around a central point is probably one of the most effective, and probably my favourite. Let's start, as always, with some examples from classical art ... something a bit newer, this time.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4fPj-zCc7EMIkWDYWVC8uLfeX86reoNU0Imp6PXkBRuKMeKIUURJXUVXUc5vpWoPPGHM1iIXfmyqQkhWCIGouG_SxyS8R3m9M6rpkcluyw6jXDLGxMtWLxR3fyX-luTJpYzrc-JX43QxrqjLS3A3ZfmrL02bymNYx3ffQTe_Q2uyuPTTT84xrymqjQ/s1500/Dance_Matisse.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1500" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4fPj-zCc7EMIkWDYWVC8uLfeX86reoNU0Imp6PXkBRuKMeKIUURJXUVXUc5vpWoPPGHM1iIXfmyqQkhWCIGouG_SxyS8R3m9M6rpkcluyw6jXDLGxMtWLxR3fyX-luTJpYzrc-JX43QxrqjLS3A3ZfmrL02bymNYx3ffQTe_Q2uyuPTTT84xrymqjQ/w400-h264/Dance_Matisse.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Henri Matisse painted "Dance" in 1910, a commission for Russian businessman Segei Shchukin. It's considered a key milestone in Matisse's career and in the development of the Modern Art movement.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Looking first at the DC comics of the first half of the 1960s, I came across quite a few that showed a strong circular composition. Look at these covers from Gil Kane and Sid Greene (who's probably better known for his inking).</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2mhHi--6BQtZZg1OiD1mXA2eFRPCRg0PXr-e2HW6DX5l25z3967zbW-W9-berJ4esIQ6aS6-JsBCO7ruvt-UudrmA9v3WPkHQSf5ur9WhdTTcCMUx2N8lk3R9spCqsKYfwffiwRMAWmkuRbwXwx7N0FZXWPXQROVVvqBd9LihQkp8SvfzoWUkEpW1A/s1318/GL-StrAdv_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1318" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2mhHi--6BQtZZg1OiD1mXA2eFRPCRg0PXr-e2HW6DX5l25z3967zbW-W9-berJ4esIQ6aS6-JsBCO7ruvt-UudrmA9v3WPkHQSf5ur9WhdTTcCMUx2N8lk3R9spCqsKYfwffiwRMAWmkuRbwXwx7N0FZXWPXQROVVvqBd9LihQkp8SvfzoWUkEpW1A/w400-h179/GL-StrAdv_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>While you'd expect Gil Kane to turn in a well-designed cover - and he did many - who knew that inker Sid Greene was such a deft draftsman?</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And, of course, it wasn't hard to find examples from the top two DC artists of the day, Curt Swan and Carmine Infantino.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_95CX-5C0Zrn9CHE8m4e4_q3wbCi09t4Y33UWD60nrVVQqLN64EXeE2QktpnKUeSV9JZtDzEOy8UoHObf2q2aSf46BkhYSrkkByQA8b0OopvwlOm9aQ15OBaUUxF_7cO5QnLJkAYcyTJQjGL0Ae2qtKPb1rTokjSEi8VEyiesaLcSDKJGa0qWoYBDQ/s1301/Superboy-Superman_StrAdv_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1301" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_95CX-5C0Zrn9CHE8m4e4_q3wbCi09t4Y33UWD60nrVVQqLN64EXeE2QktpnKUeSV9JZtDzEOy8UoHObf2q2aSf46BkhYSrkkByQA8b0OopvwlOm9aQ15OBaUUxF_7cO5QnLJkAYcyTJQjGL0Ae2qtKPb1rTokjSEi8VEyiesaLcSDKJGa0qWoYBDQ/w400-h179/Superboy-Superman_StrAdv_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I did like Curt Swan's Superfamily covers of the early 1960s ... such a shame that DC's Dark Overlord Mort Weisinger plastered them with inane speech balloons.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And at Marvel, we find Jack Kirby leading the charge, using the technique to great effect on the first Marvel team books.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8esgn3Bx0Z6xaHha9jN9HIPalcMIfpEZXvcPCqZl6yILTddW1JOhosPmmQ_1hYa_wEND7pVbr4ILUb_pLOoH5SVTEVSsIW_ozUjmFBwCXb6TSEVZj7uI1uwlgQHGUD-FuN4H3XI1i6o__GjiJ2J_5y4TD6p0jV5K5CMzbmEiaq4lKcukig9GS6znyg/s1308/Avengers001-003_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1308" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8esgn3Bx0Z6xaHha9jN9HIPalcMIfpEZXvcPCqZl6yILTddW1JOhosPmmQ_1hYa_wEND7pVbr4ILUb_pLOoH5SVTEVSsIW_ozUjmFBwCXb6TSEVZj7uI1uwlgQHGUD-FuN4H3XI1i6o__GjiJ2J_5y4TD6p0jV5K5CMzbmEiaq4lKcukig9GS6znyg/w400-h186/Avengers001-003_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The first three covers on </i>The Avengers<i> series from 1963 look nothing alike ... until you realise that all use a circle as their underlying design ...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>It's almost like there's no other way to go, when you have a large number of characters to feature and limited space to do it in.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZtXmnLYKQPliOeY_eQ2pJE9XL9rTwK07758dkx_GZfMVctavdWu_8dqDZdEQG1Sc82GOx-YrHEa_BoJhpkR1HrmwhuCBwzKhByL0yBYHoxpCssayKXuIVsTpZ2aXIHZj4180ZtIqplFeta9FpW1zZGWoljr_UEOLQeihxrfa0kGeaW9UgbUIjSWXxQ/s1316/xm001-003_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1316" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZtXmnLYKQPliOeY_eQ2pJE9XL9rTwK07758dkx_GZfMVctavdWu_8dqDZdEQG1Sc82GOx-YrHEa_BoJhpkR1HrmwhuCBwzKhByL0yBYHoxpCssayKXuIVsTpZ2aXIHZj4180ZtIqplFeta9FpW1zZGWoljr_UEOLQeihxrfa0kGeaW9UgbUIjSWXxQ/w400-h184/xm001-003_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And it's the same with the first three covers on </i>The X-Men<i>, which came out at exactly the same time as </i>The Avengers ...</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But Kirby would happily use the same composition on the solo character books. Here's a run of <i>Captain America</i> from later in the silver age ... just one circle after another.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HsPQdrtLqYtVmKddz-rpKuayxmUb3ftLSJ8wUPO926spNCg0l-TBVMB7vRqx1f94k2GKb3Hw0OvQJeT7J3mxNU6VACGC24shBg5Br6iFw6TYvfq4ccdSZSCYpEU1XVG0VF14YSk2m89KKZJIJKz3PpdIbX99e2vRwaCnkSsuF4xn0wMOdmTIuFNvvw/s1321/CA102-112_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="1321" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HsPQdrtLqYtVmKddz-rpKuayxmUb3ftLSJ8wUPO926spNCg0l-TBVMB7vRqx1f94k2GKb3Hw0OvQJeT7J3mxNU6VACGC24shBg5Br6iFw6TYvfq4ccdSZSCYpEU1XVG0VF14YSk2m89KKZJIJKz3PpdIbX99e2vRwaCnkSsuF4xn0wMOdmTIuFNvvw/w400-h183/CA102-112_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Three cracking </i>Captain America<i> covers from 1968 ... we know that Kirby rushed the art for </i>CA 112<i> through when Stan was afraid Steranko would miss his deadline, but that cover is a masterclass in composition.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Then, though I'm not drawing any conclusions from this, I came across the pencils for a Kirby Captain America cover that were heavily reworked into a circular composition by John Romita ... a rare example of Kirby missing an opportunity.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcsj3FUN5h1M9EBnXq-taa6Hm8BY8CDVXqr-qHVMAZb6bucNlVZYF7ECN5s1y_CgrdT6GwAX6HlGys2FSE74ryxhDpIojJZP8ks6aPN4YvRn7JfVgxZQ8q--CKzrscYWXq4BA6NZ8fkf0IXQBRcOn0YIPqfAlIy3hc0Pmyq7PkvgrC17r2HglCRce7A/s850/CA105_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="850" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcsj3FUN5h1M9EBnXq-taa6Hm8BY8CDVXqr-qHVMAZb6bucNlVZYF7ECN5s1y_CgrdT6GwAX6HlGys2FSE74ryxhDpIojJZP8ks6aPN4YvRn7JfVgxZQ8q--CKzrscYWXq4BA6NZ8fkf0IXQBRcOn0YIPqfAlIy3hc0Pmyq7PkvgrC17r2HglCRce7A/w400-h288/CA105_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I can see why Stan might have rejected the first version ... it's hard to see that it's Captain America sliding down the zip-wire. The fact that the reworked version just happened to fall into a satisfying circular composition may just be a happy bonus.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Just so we're clear, John Romita was no stranger to the circular design concept when it came to comic covers. Here's a few he did during his extraordinary run on <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9loiq5bxG1iKgAv344qv2bzAIYpEA15lTF7QRAcQrP2SZIt6IKJav_w2xWkqdX-baqWDwqeA4kpUDMrO8C4XZ1H0scSo2ZYXkjO0ShanU4iRpulsE69bkh066zaBsbVBWWmIZ3VEuYZDzZDlwSdQJoco1dRlWy_405KFPErlDrtRrD1B9FpWk1wsFhA/s1347/ASM_Romita_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1347" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9loiq5bxG1iKgAv344qv2bzAIYpEA15lTF7QRAcQrP2SZIt6IKJav_w2xWkqdX-baqWDwqeA4kpUDMrO8C4XZ1H0scSo2ZYXkjO0ShanU4iRpulsE69bkh066zaBsbVBWWmIZ3VEuYZDzZDlwSdQJoco1dRlWy_405KFPErlDrtRrD1B9FpWk1wsFhA/w400-h184/ASM_Romita_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's quite difficult to find a bad John Romita cover, as he was a natural designer, but these covers are among his best, ranging from 1966 to 1968.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And to end on, a random sampling of Jack Kirby through the years, working that circle like there's no tomorrow.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVn4A9gO63U8on3lZU-ItA4X15hOWORkJDksPT-E37KhoZQa2oPtnziX7EMBxkU3CcNTGIx5_lUHGAES2moyyj5v7OsZkw8RWXR6RC7HqPLnVrPlPCv-jF1SOZC5mr82DNUc-Y06c5d8e-kSm60ozS7xQppbl4f3JI0sDdOVnjKi-0g4yiaGTwhGhCg/s1774/KirbyRoundInCircles_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="1774" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVn4A9gO63U8on3lZU-ItA4X15hOWORkJDksPT-E37KhoZQa2oPtnziX7EMBxkU3CcNTGIx5_lUHGAES2moyyj5v7OsZkw8RWXR6RC7HqPLnVrPlPCv-jF1SOZC5mr82DNUc-Y06c5d8e-kSm60ozS7xQppbl4f3JI0sDdOVnjKi-0g4yiaGTwhGhCg/w400-h136/KirbyRoundInCircles_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And if any more proof were needed, here's a gaggle of Kirby covers that span the years 1963 to 1966, all effortlessly crafted for maximum impact.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>It may be that I find the circle the most appealing of these layouts because that shape is the most organic, occurring naturally both in our world's ecosphere (see what I did there?) and in the wider universe.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">COMBINATION COMPOSITIONS</h3>
<p>While I was trawling through my collection and the Internet, looking for covers that demonstrated the use of the geometry in laying out a piece of art, I kept coming across illustrations that didn't fit comfortably into any of the three pigeonholes I've described above. There were even pictures that seemed to fit into more than one category. But classical artists have been using combinations of shapes to lay out their art since the Renaissance, pretty much. </p><p>Speaking of the Renaissance, let's use a famous painting by Botticelli as our example of combination shapes underlying a picture's structure.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRpf2aCB9fB3wLBPMSNdSS8-SRKiGQIzrhoWZbpUGx7zc4SUYNXuaXGrxLGQWEZhFP6e6LhODKMdS6mbRNu4zQrUY4gK1HxfOtzxugMSWKsdSPLMSZQsa-dGnOpkRhJw9g1oDlq2Xl6DHy4iR-oK_K1RqgmUy2G7URxKSEBqYo3_4KAftq4jk1ya06w/s1280/Sandro_Botticelli_TheBirthOfVenus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1280" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRpf2aCB9fB3wLBPMSNdSS8-SRKiGQIzrhoWZbpUGx7zc4SUYNXuaXGrxLGQWEZhFP6e6LhODKMdS6mbRNu4zQrUY4gK1HxfOtzxugMSWKsdSPLMSZQsa-dGnOpkRhJw9g1oDlq2Xl6DHy4iR-oK_K1RqgmUy2G7URxKSEBqYo3_4KAftq4jk1ya06w/w400-h251/Sandro_Botticelli_TheBirthOfVenus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nascite di Venere<i> was painted by Sandro Botticelli some time during the 1480s, and is probably one of the most popular examples of Renaissance art.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>There may well be a few covers I've shown above that you might think could be used to illustrate combination compositions ... but here's a few I've singled out as the better examples.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmLm5tyk6rr1q8F1hP-iyhdgMwRwLXDzC-Hkau4i4i8xZkVyqDzTpRw4nN6P7Xk6LKyeMulCnt8Qyb8qlUjh1WfUHQJVRAdMFcYB7XmBFSc7NBHHZ5_2CwVIjmPgUh2aEVJ-6PIR2j-4MvIeeiwqPVtG-k4t4dgsConEhPfOoWxH9yfUfOBRCrEex8A/s600/Superman184_02-66.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmLm5tyk6rr1q8F1hP-iyhdgMwRwLXDzC-Hkau4i4i8xZkVyqDzTpRw4nN6P7Xk6LKyeMulCnt8Qyb8qlUjh1WfUHQJVRAdMFcYB7XmBFSc7NBHHZ5_2CwVIjmPgUh2aEVJ-6PIR2j-4MvIeeiwqPVtG-k4t4dgsConEhPfOoWxH9yfUfOBRCrEex8A/w266-h400/Superman184_02-66.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>What could be more bonkers than a later Silver Age </i>Superman<i> cover? But forget that, and concentrate on how the simplicity of the design makes a complex artwork accessible.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Towards the end of his tenure, it seemed that Weisinger's editorship resulted in ever-more outlandish situations. One is among the best (or worst) examples of that, was <i>Superman 184</i> (Feb 1966), where primitive humanoids wave doritos-on-sticks at the Man of Steel. This was why, by 1966, I was a full-on Marvel reader.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, though DC editors struggled to understand what the fuss was about, Marvel were using the same techniques to creat more arresting and - to be fair - saleable covers for their comics. Here's a couple of early Avengers that would have made my ten-year old self part with his pocket money.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQ34H6VWzu9MhgFOzRwc9I6Bb50LJH1916zLMo5E_vb51RmtQtH_hdnv0zoPxdNtWQmWXkjM1_tIJnCRxSiZh9a60p5jPym1vogfVsfm0bZeujlyCTUmQwzDwzBErcgL5lMu0AmM5ML06wOUnV-T3DHqSfGA7_yzt0ZS2VbhiNwm8ZQnucP2DuS1qtg/s606/Avengers009_10-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQ34H6VWzu9MhgFOzRwc9I6Bb50LJH1916zLMo5E_vb51RmtQtH_hdnv0zoPxdNtWQmWXkjM1_tIJnCRxSiZh9a60p5jPym1vogfVsfm0bZeujlyCTUmQwzDwzBErcgL5lMu0AmM5ML06wOUnV-T3DHqSfGA7_yzt0ZS2VbhiNwm8ZQnucP2DuS1qtg/w264-h400/Avengers009_10-64.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Could it be any clearer? The goodies are in the oval shape and the baddies are in the triangle. Shut up and take my money.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The art for <i>Avengers 9</i> (Oct 1964) demonstrates how effortlessly Kirby was able to knock out a cover that told you exactly who was in the story (all you really cared about when you were ten) and gives you a pretty broad hint at who is on which side.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJS2TIctSHM7U4QkJ6YPSuMplJSyO3CsMaPDorNv4DcPms6VFSNl30RpDkWZXf4zHd6V6QCv_WIcomNLblYSERCGVozFc7kEpvdMAwPoIJQ-VWfHvNBZNJ0qdacmi3TmmL3mKdRmpO9plwNOcxEqXtHkmzytCzx2QXeP_At2S-LzWgIVCOoOWqK3YVw/s615/Avengers011_12-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJS2TIctSHM7U4QkJ6YPSuMplJSyO3CsMaPDorNv4DcPms6VFSNl30RpDkWZXf4zHd6V6QCv_WIcomNLblYSERCGVozFc7kEpvdMAwPoIJQ-VWfHvNBZNJ0qdacmi3TmmL3mKdRmpO9plwNOcxEqXtHkmzytCzx2QXeP_At2S-LzWgIVCOoOWqK3YVw/w260-h400/Avengers011_12-64.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kirby is once more using the geometry of the cover to show you who is fighting who is fighting whom. Good and clear, great sense of danger.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>A couple of issues later, Stan put his top solo hero Spider-Man up against The Avengers (or, spoiler alert, so it seemed). Yes, I know diverse hands were involved in tinkering with the art - names from Steve Ditko to Bob Powell have been accused on being involved, but it's reasonable to say that the basic <i>composition</i> of the cover is Kirby's.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">SO ... ABOUT THE FIBONACCI SPIRAL</h3>
<p>Leonardo Bonacci, also know is Fibonacci, was a mathematician of the Middle Ages, credited with bringing the arabic numeral system to Europe and introducing the concept of zero to modern mathematics. The Fibonacci Sequence is a series of numbers where each successive number is the sum of the previous two. Omitting zero for clarity, the sequence goes:</p><p>1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, etc ...</p>
<p>You might be thinking, "Yes, and?"</p>
<p>Well here's the thing. The Fibonacci numbers also appear in biological settings, such as branching in trees, the arrangement of leaves on a stem, the fruit sprouts of a pineapple, the flowering of an artichoke, an uncurling fern, and the arrangement of a pine cone's bracts. Spooky, huh? And the sequence also turns up elsewhere in maths - computer algorithms such as the Fibonacci search technique and the Fibonacci heap data structure, and graphs called Fibonacci cubes used for interconnecting parallel and distributed systems.</p><p>But wait ... the sequence also shows up in classical art as a basic for the composition of many pieces of art, from different parts of the world, possibly - though I can't confirm this - without the artists even knowing they were using it. The sequence has been used to create the "perfect" rectangle, sometimes referred to as the Divine (or Golden) Rectangle. Here's an illustration of it (nicked from WIKIpedia):</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1ZRCp2lcIM1_ov81Cua-rsCekdTxq-fEgb_OWPui0PNeqQxKf7novKkFKyM9EiIc72gTj3X7qGmZKWOoi-Knokz7BnXv4pPH2P56HUHQXOQ5t2s5tMjqWfyo3DffzbBzVthTpJx1HAAwhMItpH98W2aPgq_4k5dR8TiBVjNeMcrj1M_suw5F8FrRjw/s1920/Fibonacci_Rectangle.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="1920" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1ZRCp2lcIM1_ov81Cua-rsCekdTxq-fEgb_OWPui0PNeqQxKf7novKkFKyM9EiIc72gTj3X7qGmZKWOoi-Knokz7BnXv4pPH2P56HUHQXOQ5t2s5tMjqWfyo3DffzbBzVthTpJx1HAAwhMItpH98W2aPgq_4k5dR8TiBVjNeMcrj1M_suw5F8FrRjw/s320/Fibonacci_Rectangle.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<p>The longer edge is 34 units and the shorter edge is 21 units. But look how you can start drawing lines and each smaller square is part of the Fibonacci Sequence. Now, to create the Fibonacci Spiral, you open your compass to 21 units, place the point in the bottom right corner and draw a quarter circle from bottom left to top right. The make your compass 13 units and draw another quarter circle from top left to bottom right. Carry on like that and you end up with:</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmRqGQMJ7D4b5yxmZzy_mST28qBiufdl1GqWdbXy-PEg3qHBJ75G1PnbktCwx9QABalKFA8AUXQaX179iQ4UYFpMC7-pQqE5Dyd_Coci5-VEoPyFWU5JP8ay-wHcLft22JRaXRF40aXrwcvP6w03w_nhUwDPkqURLCJ06jD260Ktc5Ipnx3x8sE60Jw/s1682/Fibonacci-Spiral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1682" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmRqGQMJ7D4b5yxmZzy_mST28qBiufdl1GqWdbXy-PEg3qHBJ75G1PnbktCwx9QABalKFA8AUXQaX179iQ4UYFpMC7-pQqE5Dyd_Coci5-VEoPyFWU5JP8ay-wHcLft22JRaXRF40aXrwcvP6w03w_nhUwDPkqURLCJ06jD260Ktc5Ipnx3x8sE60Jw/s320/Fibonacci-Spiral.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p>And that is the shape that turns up again and again in the composition of classic art pieces. Here's a classic (no pun intended) example:</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFQmHRfIbHKb0O_YJv-F3dswq_knpLES7sgEGN64xo2XTyC2YovoyUTEn6aXLAmbeYCFn-XjG6Ts8budv_0yTS6hU2KjrnYNI80qMkc3K56yyA06UxwRJmdr-6Fm_QFeH1M9ERds_ZzWLPYJtz4lC_B2xCzehKBQpuFDTnsxZ846ZHjgqRFn84hXhQg/s1056/Jean_Auguste_Dominique_Ingres_La_Grande_Odalisque_Fibonacci.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="1056" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFQmHRfIbHKb0O_YJv-F3dswq_knpLES7sgEGN64xo2XTyC2YovoyUTEn6aXLAmbeYCFn-XjG6Ts8budv_0yTS6hU2KjrnYNI80qMkc3K56yyA06UxwRJmdr-6Fm_QFeH1M9ERds_ZzWLPYJtz4lC_B2xCzehKBQpuFDTnsxZ846ZHjgqRFn84hXhQg/w400-h223/Jean_Auguste_Dominique_Ingres_La_Grande_Odalisque_Fibonacci.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>La Grande Odalisque by Jean Auguste Dominique, 1814.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But you can go back and apply it to Renaissance pieces like:</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6iO9cdptq80NLAcGQ9uyZZpuCzcG79FFme4tUdf_zgSoPykDkk9mFuqVmov4g-RKnD1a_32FlhYDV_NEnA2ORwRsCKNvWWRLmzuTxqC743leGoT4WNYOOo5eVOicGp4Eq1rcGZ-5PZkudPSOHgK9_j2hdAU_bp9f_IMtvg6-fmGkEtHya0fL73mSCA/s1371/MonaLisa_GoldenRatio.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6iO9cdptq80NLAcGQ9uyZZpuCzcG79FFme4tUdf_zgSoPykDkk9mFuqVmov4g-RKnD1a_32FlhYDV_NEnA2ORwRsCKNvWWRLmzuTxqC743leGoT4WNYOOo5eVOicGp4Eq1rcGZ-5PZkudPSOHgK9_j2hdAU_bp9f_IMtvg6-fmGkEtHya0fL73mSCA/s320/MonaLisa_GoldenRatio.jpeg" width="215" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, c.1506</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And even paintings from completely different cultures, like Tsunami.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDULRpXHcKM6xYKdP1KMsab2PVDx9VdPSFoBXG0wQCNwHy0tWAiSNEiNaoaH4bBx2kHafxkZ-bzF9WyYlpMdGdJ59XVMmZZUP7FHhbjMQjVClZoJTh7lCQyw0gNmCre3fu-TN2-kAfv4kJKap4evw65xnwisJ3rZwXprCSt49Csg4Lh7ijJIuigEjdQ/s265/Tsunami_GoldenRatio.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="265" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDULRpXHcKM6xYKdP1KMsab2PVDx9VdPSFoBXG0wQCNwHy0tWAiSNEiNaoaH4bBx2kHafxkZ-bzF9WyYlpMdGdJ59XVMmZZUP7FHhbjMQjVClZoJTh7lCQyw0gNmCre3fu-TN2-kAfv4kJKap4evw65xnwisJ3rZwXprCSt49Csg4Lh7ijJIuigEjdQ/s1600/Tsunami_GoldenRatio.jpeg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Great Wave off Kanagawa - more popularly referred to as "Tsunami" - by Katsushika Hokusai, 1831.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Admittedly, when it comes to finding comic covers that look like they are based on the principles of Fibonacci, it's a bit more challenging. Is that because comic covers are by definition simple and direct? Possible, but even with a fairly casual search, I managed to find a few examples that look like a pretty good fit.</p>
<p>The first one I found was an early Ditko Spider-man cover ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPJhXHisndfjkEYMJldZFUw3TggIXvYbre_XiZef-Xa1xBw0pkQedxHPFQVFYXHlwWXvBN5QjFPU6ReHvZK6h7e0Vq2r98gT0we6fDocUhTKj-KLpWsyo-40oGnXQsJdRnk1QEDGespWa5YB0UTeZCCOwy-LYaoVeHK_1gjqlC0y3phty41b2JlJFIA/s605/ASM010_03-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPJhXHisndfjkEYMJldZFUw3TggIXvYbre_XiZef-Xa1xBw0pkQedxHPFQVFYXHlwWXvBN5QjFPU6ReHvZK6h7e0Vq2r98gT0we6fDocUhTKj-KLpWsyo-40oGnXQsJdRnk1QEDGespWa5YB0UTeZCCOwy-LYaoVeHK_1gjqlC0y3phty41b2JlJFIA/w265-h400/ASM010_03-64.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing Spider-Man 10<i> (Mar 1964), by Steve Ditko.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>What do you think? Convincing? How about this one?</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_xB41PozjhBPGFKYhdNXw4OcZ-DB591tWP4Vy6AnPOM79_ad9Mk-i5G4jzWOft4dFE_Hhsf5OgBw8cgOUF0Kv08mJDnDRHvpJOiuvrcFoYfx5zbrBLqrYfC3L12aK6F9-mTqh7b64jcUXOSp4xay8oy-0hIp1KYp6pgvQpoZBoYbd-A3CBMOgGLatg/s607/ASM015_08-64_Fibonacci.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_xB41PozjhBPGFKYhdNXw4OcZ-DB591tWP4Vy6AnPOM79_ad9Mk-i5G4jzWOft4dFE_Hhsf5OgBw8cgOUF0Kv08mJDnDRHvpJOiuvrcFoYfx5zbrBLqrYfC3L12aK6F9-mTqh7b64jcUXOSp4xay8oy-0hIp1KYp6pgvQpoZBoYbd-A3CBMOgGLatg/w264-h400/ASM015_08-64_Fibonacci.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing Spider-Man 15<i> (Aug 1964), by Steve Ditko.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>I thought these two Daredevil covers, both by John Romita, made a pretty convincing example, as well.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg20AHbdwufGX9ho7fd5dHbv8lUv35lLIqYDwq1HqSUmkxmeO9p_yXcO91Z-LePIWt23qF_qAzdKGPm8r85AR7nJElt86fp0XvjvKMb1lVuYE-8AwgeRXb5xe9x4VjAJOPWR2FAEBoVaYm-Ab_5OMBYT83mMdrJR70r0NZSts4JqYJLG6S3bsTBmv3MA/s850/DD012-15_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="850" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg20AHbdwufGX9ho7fd5dHbv8lUv35lLIqYDwq1HqSUmkxmeO9p_yXcO91Z-LePIWt23qF_qAzdKGPm8r85AR7nJElt86fp0XvjvKMb1lVuYE-8AwgeRXb5xe9x4VjAJOPWR2FAEBoVaYm-Ab_5OMBYT83mMdrJR70r0NZSts4JqYJLG6S3bsTBmv3MA/w400-h290/DD012-15_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daredevil 12<i> (Jan 1966) and</i> 15<i> (Apr 1966).</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And I think the classic cover for <i>Fantastic Four 48</i> (Mar 1966) is a strong contender as well.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivD4Zy03hge2IAAodJA5ZkZf7P-TlZ3ufrSLNOPbG5jRgKAkBj0Q49qtJc7BjDQsebTJ_9br8B7v438-B-8r1Q0MtJmA5htdfeQKE5tl2Imwp7U8PEDEH4BZrEFbA3TjgIUrSkymDtF1o5CfofNpPA7-JNVdWabiPN7PTX8iKmEG-039yMOyhiKyNcg/s597/ff048_03-66_Fibonacci.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivD4Zy03hge2IAAodJA5ZkZf7P-TlZ3ufrSLNOPbG5jRgKAkBj0Q49qtJc7BjDQsebTJ_9br8B7v438-B-8r1Q0MtJmA5htdfeQKE5tl2Imwp7U8PEDEH4BZrEFbA3TjgIUrSkymDtF1o5CfofNpPA7-JNVdWabiPN7PTX8iKmEG-039yMOyhiKyNcg/w268-h400/ff048_03-66_Fibonacci.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is probably the most convincing example I found ... and it's Jack Kirby, which surprised me a little. Look how the family members of the FF are grouped together in the lower right rectangle, with Ben Grimm on the outside. Can't be coincidental.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And finally, these two covers from different periods of the Silver Age ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1llLBtKsRwNhCDIp5hxfISUnCrmpFQEUTamoJ2PaPX42E80-cLr8BhdEl3-cT-Yixr_tiGR8B1Wwufqgeoj9ZtyAw7twodvVpWAgqp9foHIK__UvDLArWHnWkdA5QtqeRBdMHtsg_qXswXTqpkkRlDEerMZXS9YNqJlW8Bq3bQ2lF3W1NvEKT1qBoA/s850/StrTales142-Thor182_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="850" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1llLBtKsRwNhCDIp5hxfISUnCrmpFQEUTamoJ2PaPX42E80-cLr8BhdEl3-cT-Yixr_tiGR8B1Wwufqgeoj9ZtyAw7twodvVpWAgqp9foHIK__UvDLArWHnWkdA5QtqeRBdMHtsg_qXswXTqpkkRlDEerMZXS9YNqJlW8Bq3bQ2lF3W1NvEKT1qBoA/w400-h276/StrTales142-Thor182_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I always loved the cover to </i>Strange Tales 142<i> (Mar 1966), and now I think I know why. The cover for </i>Thor 182<i> (Nov 1970), just at the outer edge of the Silver Age, is a nice example, as well.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>None of these are <i>exact</i> fits to the Fibonacci Spiral, but they are pretty darn close. I could spend ages working my way through the Grand Comicbook Database, scouring for ever-more convincing examples of covers that conform to classical art composition ... but I do have things I need to do, like eating and sleeping.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">WHO SAYS COMICS AREN'T ART?</h3>
<p>There's no hard rules about any of this. You could argue that I'm just seeing structure where none was intended. But at the same time, I think it's not an unreasonable position to say that artwork that follows some kind of underlying geometric design is more attractive, effective and easier for us to decipher than a picture that is just a chaotic collection of artefacts on the page.</p><p>That said, I'm conscious that not all the components of any of the about art fits <i>perfectly</i> to the geometric designs I've been looking at. And I think that's an important point. If the artist did try to place the elements exactly to a geometric shape, then I think the artwork wouldn't work as well, perhaps becoming a bit mechanical in the rendering. It's those little overlaps and deviations that make the final piece arresting.</p>
<p>So that's it. I don't want to labour the point, but you can have loads of fun, trawling through the covers reproduced on the <a href="https://www.comics.org/">Grand Comicbook Database</a>, and spotting all the various shapes for yourself.</p>
<p><b>Next: So what does an Editor actually do?</b></p>
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<p><br /></p>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-59733437391456860412023-05-01T11:10:00.005-07:002023-08-14T13:31:36.810-07:00Captain Marvel: Part 3<p><b>A YEAR ON FROM THE GREAT MARVEL EXPLOSION OF 1968</b> and it was becoming noticeable that Martin Goodman's grand plan to increase Marvel's output wasn't going to be sustainable.</p><p>When Marvel's total monthly page output went up from around 280 pages per month to about 400 pages, Editor Stan Lee needed to find more creators to produce the extra 120 pages of original story art he'd need just to keep the Marvel machine fed. He already had Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich helping out on scripting. He'd added Archie Goodwin and Arnold Drake in 1968 - both looked great on paper, Goodwin with long experience at Warren magazines and Drake with a wealth of experience at DC, but by mid-1969, Drake had left Marvel and <i>Captain Marvel</i> needed a new writer.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnyH-Lq3_e5FYy7lUIMoBYfAqVZ9AjVU2S12ZkxPN6Rz9UGSrEyVVbZnGam8KiD1tkduL_WTyeVa6UMRCgr9m_GPo78Ls6tzxPbsJfOkX8JSi3NQuXV8pNQd8J5ppf8HLGtiEgbqj1Jq1xAMe3AGmTE5NxGW1LCLwhbxJYvtX0UGl_mAlaH26JHqZmw/s1235/CaptMarvel017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1235" data-original-width="976" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnyH-Lq3_e5FYy7lUIMoBYfAqVZ9AjVU2S12ZkxPN6Rz9UGSrEyVVbZnGam8KiD1tkduL_WTyeVa6UMRCgr9m_GPo78Ls6tzxPbsJfOkX8JSi3NQuXV8pNQd8J5ppf8HLGtiEgbqj1Jq1xAMe3AGmTE5NxGW1LCLwhbxJYvtX0UGl_mAlaH26JHqZmw/s320/CaptMarvel017.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
<p>As it turned out, Gary Friedrich was able to step in for a few issues, while editor Stan cast around for a permanent replacement. Also incoming was new Marvel recruit, Frank Springer, replacing Dick Ayers who'd pencilled the last couple of issues. Springer had pencilled at Dell until the end of 1967, then joined DC for about eight months - I'd particularly enjoyed his work on <i>Secret Six</i> - before hopping over to Marvel to draw <i>SHIELD 4</i> (Sep 1968).</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXBbUjTPHcsmDHzCXbnS3cRVThjyElodxHSU-1ZjuST9lzmGP_fGxxE6Xm0y4y9orluDPDgEnwXyp08UyDWv6irU6HQB8Da-8TLC6PYugvRzYGT4bldCgFNHDeLQHI4NPkEsHmuiFnc0ccs2jFxDDCJksMEqRscEqsUksvgOiGvacWSY9Qan9s4r2Lw/s1800/cm013_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1800" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXBbUjTPHcsmDHzCXbnS3cRVThjyElodxHSU-1ZjuST9lzmGP_fGxxE6Xm0y4y9orluDPDgEnwXyp08UyDWv6irU6HQB8Da-8TLC6PYugvRzYGT4bldCgFNHDeLQHI4NPkEsHmuiFnc0ccs2jFxDDCJksMEqRscEqsUksvgOiGvacWSY9Qan9s4r2Lw/w400-h189/cm013_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Though my 14 year old self wasn't best pleased to see Frank Springer take over from</i> SHIELD<i> artist Jim Steranko, I had enjoyed his work on DC's </i>Secret Six<i>. He also delivers a splendid job on Captain Marvel, diminished only a little by Vince Colletta's indifferent inking.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Captain Marvel 13</i> (May 1969) kind of re-hashes issue 12, with an unnecessary second battle against the Manslayer and a punch-up between Mar-Vell and Yon-Rogg. Incredibly, Yon-Rogg knocks Mar-Vell down during the fight, despite Captain Marvel's hugely enhanced physical strength (courtesy of the cosmic entity Zo). It's almost as if Friedrich hadn't read the previous issue. Or maybe he was just dialoguing an Arnold Drake plot ... either way, it added up to an unmemorable story.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpb4LeUO-eEoSxWKhXQz9NYFbyGYl-naQqourNSkXFvVCb8H5hdcH_3TSjgDJ_1y-N2OOU29lLlk5U8SRDPZMwA3pVnpdzqI4ToRsSKE7LSa3U_jSxQUbAh6Tje6k3uoukrpEZN_cLswlypVD9jjA8ZvrbYs6b0iKr_VgX15Uyga_URg5_CNB0HrTjg/s1800/cm014_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1800" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpb4LeUO-eEoSxWKhXQz9NYFbyGYl-naQqourNSkXFvVCb8H5hdcH_3TSjgDJ_1y-N2OOU29lLlk5U8SRDPZMwA3pVnpdzqI4ToRsSKE7LSa3U_jSxQUbAh6Tje6k3uoukrpEZN_cLswlypVD9jjA8ZvrbYs6b0iKr_VgX15Uyga_URg5_CNB0HrTjg/w400-h189/cm014_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Although touted as a crossover with </i>Avengers 64 <i>and</i> Sub-Mariner 14<i>, Iron Man's appearance in this issue of </i>Captain Marvel <i>seemed more like marketing opportunity than a story necessity.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Captain Marvel 14</i> (Jun 1969) featured a guest-appearance by Iron Man, a sure sign that sales on Mar-Vell's book weren't all that Editor Stan Lee had been hoping for. But this shouldn't have been much of surprise for Stan. Both art and scripts on the title had been distinctly second-tier up till this point ... and something had to be done. The introduction of Iron Man didn't make a great deal of sense, as guest villain. The Puppet Master (not looking like a ventriloquist's dummy any more, he had plastic surgery in <i>Strange Tales 133</i>, Jun 1965) takes possession of Iron Man and forces him to seek out and battle Captain Marvel for no reason that is ever explained.</p><p>But for me, now as then, the plot ("Captain Marvel battles Iron Man") is the least important part. The character development has always been more interesting to me. This issue moves it forward a little. Captain Marvel returns to the orbiting Kree ship and has a showdown with Yon Rogg - though Mar-Vell inexplicably allows his enemy to live - and then Zo decides Mar-Vell has had enough freedom and must now return to the Kree homeworld, for reasons yet to be explained.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYBMenzSnLfxTupWVc0lirpc70zzEiv08BZQP7wGl8XaqybnE5KkFA8Z_N8tXFLH1XrbIyiuLqoYaq6Nbai1G3AE-AkTC-csB8zLF91kZF2A_qcOmhqp873NLXmAdAdsHcr7G9zq-sq-MGJdMSUrvcZQ2mvq0mqJSgWXRPmHi35hi6Y7aXjcFWzKZTA/s1800/cm015_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="1800" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYBMenzSnLfxTupWVc0lirpc70zzEiv08BZQP7wGl8XaqybnE5KkFA8Z_N8tXFLH1XrbIyiuLqoYaq6Nbai1G3AE-AkTC-csB8zLF91kZF2A_qcOmhqp873NLXmAdAdsHcr7G9zq-sq-MGJdMSUrvcZQ2mvq0mqJSgWXRPmHi35hi6Y7aXjcFWzKZTA/w400-h186/cm015_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tom Sutton had been working steadily at Warren for a couple of years, then drew quite a bit of the later issues of </i>Not Brand Echh<i>. This was one of his few superhero jobs for Marvel. He'd later carve a niche on Marvel's </i>Planet of the Apes<i>, and at Charlton.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And that's exactly what happens in <i>Captain Marvel 15</i> (Aug 1969). Working with incoming newcomer Tom Sutton, Gary Friedrich takes Mar-Vell off in a far more cosmic direction. It's almost a foretaste of what Jim Starlin would do with the character just a few years later. Zo begins by showing Mar-Vell his past and his future, revealing that Mar-Vell is destined to destroy his own people. Unable to accept that his fate is inevitable, Mar-Vell resolves to follow the path set out by Zo but plans to thwart Zo's predictions at the first opportunity. When he does arrive on the Kree homeworld, he's embroiled in a battle against the invading followers of Tam-Bor.</p><p>I quite like Sutton's groovy, cosmic layouts here, but you can see that his draftsmanship isn't quite as slick as more seasoned artists like his predecessors Dick Ayers and Frank Springer. Even Dan Adkins' usually deft inks can't quite punch this up.</p><p>Then, just when it looks like Gary Friedrich is taking this book in an interesting direction, he's replaced by incoming scripter Archie Goodwin, who makes a pretty good fist of tying up all the disparate events and situations created by all the previous scripters on the series.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpRPK52Uj05xJ2xXp_oSlgH-oBZ--e_AqPBwZtO8noQHk4TaAVYBb6xe8DM3H404KpE90P2VC-2p5BMqSwaQj9cjMZVjQ08LuDFNKGvgjUmHYGbQNvNRt1L8pQ2WMy2U0eAcfeaGbp-zh1W2BIayvuCkDnA-3aX56zIPWYdq7p-SpMotjF8QwvoHLOQ/s2400/cm016_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="2400" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpRPK52Uj05xJ2xXp_oSlgH-oBZ--e_AqPBwZtO8noQHk4TaAVYBb6xe8DM3H404KpE90P2VC-2p5BMqSwaQj9cjMZVjQ08LuDFNKGvgjUmHYGbQNvNRt1L8pQ2WMy2U0eAcfeaGbp-zh1W2BIayvuCkDnA-3aX56zIPWYdq7p-SpMotjF8QwvoHLOQ/w400-h140/cm016_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Marvel 16<i> (Sep 1969) is a complicated issue, as Goodwin tries to sort out and make sense of the various plot threads dangling since the beginning of the series.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>So ... it turns out that the Kree Supreme Intelligence (introduced in this issue) is behind almost everything that's happened. Two Kree traitors have been scheming to take over the Kree Empire, second-in-command Zarek - who also posed as cosmic entity Zo - and his henchman Ronan the Accuser. The appointment of Yon-Rogg as Mar-Vell's superior officer was all part of the plot, and Mar-Vell - because he was a straight-arrow hero-type - was selected by Zarek as the fall-guy to blame it all on. Poor Medic Una was just so much collateral damage. The Supreme Intelligence was aware of the plot and simply bided his time till it came to a head, knowing that Mar-Vell would do the right thing. For his heroic actions, Captain Marvel is promoted to warrior and is given a new uniform. And he gets to keep his Zo-given cosmic powers. Yes, some of the resolutions are wobbly, but it's pretty obvious that this is a clearing-of-the-decks for a major change in direction.</p><p>It's great to see Heck back on pencils, with some fine finishing by Syd Shores on inks. But it's only for a moment, as next issue, Editor Stan brings in the big guns to try to get the title up on its hind legs, assigning Roy Thomas as scripter and DC Comics stalwart Gil Kane as artist.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">WHO THE HECK IS GIL KANE?</h3>
<p>Gil Kane (born Eli Katz, 6 Apr 1926) began his career at MLJ (later Archie Comics) in 1942 where he worked in the production department erasing pencils, ruling panel borders and outlining speech balloons. Fired after three weeks, Kane got a job at the Jack Binder Studio doing pencilling work. "They weren't terribly happy with what I was doing. But when I was rehired by MLJ three weeks later, not only did they put me back into the production department and give me an increase, they gave me my first job, which was Inspector Bentley of Scotland Yard in <i>Pep Comics</i>, and then they gave me a whole issue of <i>The Shield and Dusty</i>, one of their leading books," he told <i>The Comics Journal </i>in 1996. By 1944 he was freelancing for Simon and Kirby, who were supplying material to DC, and drawing for other publishers like Hillman, Rural Home and Aviation Press. Kane was drafted into the Army the same year, not returning to civilian life until 1945. He began drawing directly for DC under editor Sheldon Mayer, while contributing art to a range of Prize Comics titles. By 1949 Kane was working on Julius Schwatz's stable of titles, notably <i>Jimmy Wakely</i>, <i>Rex the Wonder Dog</i> and <i>All-Star Western</i>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qgbjW9MxHxSfGsJY4LabhfCm-ia6UJRm6DRUHId_JTywKE7qQFPUA8hsHRQH7gDE6xdlxsZb_GvjnfXhM_NJ7utXgH7q79z9u6Lm2z9zP74g3mYilZJeYPOoNaI8HOBL6THg5UtUrT8UVmlxxZ1hGN-MDd9XxAZWqZjgsSOmr61TRRA4NteDBeVPng/s1329/Kane_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="1329" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qgbjW9MxHxSfGsJY4LabhfCm-ia6UJRm6DRUHId_JTywKE7qQFPUA8hsHRQH7gDE6xdlxsZb_GvjnfXhM_NJ7utXgH7q79z9u6Lm2z9zP74g3mYilZJeYPOoNaI8HOBL6THg5UtUrT8UVmlxxZ1hGN-MDd9XxAZWqZjgsSOmr61TRRA4NteDBeVPng/w400-h180/Kane_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Western comics were big sellers for DC during the 1950s and Kane's work was much in demand. Later, he'd also draw sf and romance strips for the company.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Kane continued at DC throughout the 1950s, drawing anything he was asked to - science fiction, romance and westerns - but as these genres began to flounder, DC was looking for other avenues and turned their attention to superheroes once more. </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiG9S8ifpqAwBuHXsd6DnLFgIm52obckNJ3FBT4w6i20-r6l-W0kokirzia9W6OBPdMF5DV2qTKBg_KRZU-YRBXnK3I6uvSWz_zd8SOAWHIqYwnxYrA88oTsg5JrZFPAbodSbuXpc3f2VLsO4j4dJ-GpkV3TnAyqWWmjHxZQXpJPJ_0J9RKAB03dFpkQ/s1306/Kane_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1306" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiG9S8ifpqAwBuHXsd6DnLFgIm52obckNJ3FBT4w6i20-r6l-W0kokirzia9W6OBPdMF5DV2qTKBg_KRZU-YRBXnK3I6uvSWz_zd8SOAWHIqYwnxYrA88oTsg5JrZFPAbodSbuXpc3f2VLsO4j4dJ-GpkV3TnAyqWWmjHxZQXpJPJ_0J9RKAB03dFpkQ/w400-h180/Kane_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>With the DC superhero revival in full swing, Kane was their star artist on two important books, but even the occasional job on DC mystery titles wasn't enough to fill his schedule.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Kane got the job of pencilling the revived <i>Green Lantern</i>, but found with the loss of his other titles, he hadn't enough work to keep him busy. "By the end of the '50s, everything began to collapse and, little by little, I lost all of my work," Kane told <i>The Jack Kirby Collector</i> in 1998. " I lost <i>Rex, the Wonder Dog</i> and all the westerns. I lost everything and had nothing going. I would occasionally get a science-fiction story from Julie. I went over to Western/ Gold Key and worked with Russ Heath as a partner for a while; I penciled and he inked. So I picked up work wherever I could. <i>Green Lantern</i> filled in a lot but not completely; it was every six weeks and not a monthly book." Kane pitched a revival of <i>The Atom</i> to DC and began pencilling that, as well. "I designed the character and the costume and everything else, and showed them my drawings and sketches and they decided to build a magazine around it," said Kane in an interview with <i>Comic-Art.com</i>. "It was very much like a character done by my favourite artists Louie Fine and Reed Crandall [Doll Man] ... I must admit that it was sort of boring doing it. I really didn't enjoy it ... because I longed to ink my own pencils, which they wouldn't let me do."</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK14-xBB70gwH3UvEySoWILaiAZ_AQ0Ty2AwrCOYIOWrvtxOtUaVlLP3PKRf196eqAUCKjY5ZzR07ciuCspRgFM7oqNHqRaSKEkpWX-CHB-ccNdBKcJpCtdXyDxuZCplrwpqTrIJEfTxC6KpiTQARtEgPEcic-AaLKP0w43BMX_Eb9LodMEpgshJdIlQ/s1800/Kane_montage03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1800" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK14-xBB70gwH3UvEySoWILaiAZ_AQ0Ty2AwrCOYIOWrvtxOtUaVlLP3PKRf196eqAUCKjY5ZzR07ciuCspRgFM7oqNHqRaSKEkpWX-CHB-ccNdBKcJpCtdXyDxuZCplrwpqTrIJEfTxC6KpiTQARtEgPEcic-AaLKP0w43BMX_Eb9LodMEpgshJdIlQ/w400-h188/Kane_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stan started Gil Kane off on covers, but soon found some interior pencilling for him on The Hulk and Captain America.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Towards the end of 1966, after trying to get in at Tower Comics, Kane went to Stan Lee and picked up some work pencilling The Hulk in <i>Tales to Astonish</i>, where he <i>was</i> allowed to ink his own work. A month or two later, Kane was also pencilling and inking Captain America in <i>Tales of Suspense</i>. That and some cover work from Stan seemed to help, but Kane's first Marvel tenure only lasted a short while. After about three months, Kane was back at DC. </p><p>Maybe the prospect of losing one of their star artists focussed DC's attention and they found him more work, adding regular work on <i>Detective Comics</i>. Throughout 1968 and 1969, Kane was also pencilling on <i>Hawk and Dove</i>, <i>Captain Action</i>, <i>Batman</i> and <i>Teen Titans</i>. <i>The Atom</i> was merged with Hawkman in mid-1968, but Kane didn't draw the new title. Then, in mid-1970, Neal Adams took over the art on <i>Green Lantern</i>, and although Kane drew <i>The Flash</i> for a few months, it was looking like DC were struggling to hang on to Gil Kane. </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBF65RQem9Qcl4mSVAUfMjP1MYj8iLvGyEBfJ8g11eh50Oq7oJYFQv0Lf5cUUlbln7XgApA04bQQEoP7xyBa3wFI39UVrdGvKxX-a6s7dm8tz8EFiOgpirfhq_WJ3ccgJDmz7RbVCIeAl3Vtge1nrMI6P-Zg6Cz4LgJQ6AKPx0QzFHVaohsytfm--tQ/s400/GilKane.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBF65RQem9Qcl4mSVAUfMjP1MYj8iLvGyEBfJ8g11eh50Oq7oJYFQv0Lf5cUUlbln7XgApA04bQQEoP7xyBa3wFI39UVrdGvKxX-a6s7dm8tz8EFiOgpirfhq_WJ3ccgJDmz7RbVCIeAl3Vtge1nrMI6P-Zg6Cz4LgJQ6AKPx0QzFHVaohsytfm--tQ/s320/GilKane.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gil Kane: 6 Apr 1926 - 31 Jan 2000</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>By mid 1971, Gil Kane was working pretty much exclusively for Marvel, drawing <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> and most of their covers.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">AND BACK TO CAPTAIN MARVEL</h3>
<p><i>Captain Marvel 17</i>, cover dated Oct 1969, was on the newsstands 15 Jul 1969. It was pretty obvious that this was a completely different approach to the character.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDGH2UoC5FDsCUeU1dvpwmB5tHXMj6ER15zhDnEFl4UpiNG0ZB_1zMf4uXBDGwlrbSpBZY9h9yE-KENjbGdHCc3RM81j6xYz3MIRf7LbXauNgpEEgKV9WoRbprWd2fauiIyWF6OV_kmPyGPD3Jy13Z10xc2P_ON6nwIKYqAelSvHnMr2_oGPn2CzWDQ/s1800/cm017_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1800" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDGH2UoC5FDsCUeU1dvpwmB5tHXMj6ER15zhDnEFl4UpiNG0ZB_1zMf4uXBDGwlrbSpBZY9h9yE-KENjbGdHCc3RM81j6xYz3MIRf7LbXauNgpEEgKV9WoRbprWd2fauiIyWF6OV_kmPyGPD3Jy13Z10xc2P_ON6nwIKYqAelSvHnMr2_oGPn2CzWDQ/w400-h186/cm017_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The whole idea of a youngster miraculously transforming into a superhero on demand did seem awfully familiar. Rick Jones was even given Billy Batson's signature blue trousers and red top.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Roy Thomas ditched most of the backstory and re-tooled Marvel's <i>Captain Marvel</i> to vaguely resemble the classic Fawcett version. Rick Jones, former partner of both The Hulk and Captain America, was drafted in as the Billy Batson stand-in. Rick only had to clash his wristbands together to swap places with Captain Marvel in the Negative Zone. And their first order of business is to rescue Carol Danvers, who we saw kidnapped by Yon-Rogg in the previous issue. </p><p>The only slight glitch I saw was where Captain Marvel claims that he now has no powers, except for those that the Nega-wristbands give him (Rick's wristbands don't give <i>him</i> any powers). Yet in <i>Captain Marvel 16</i>, Captain Marvel explicitly tells us he retains the power bestowed on him by "Zo". I'm confused ...</p><p>But whatever powers Captain Marvel now has, they're not enough to keep Yon-Rogg from making off with his captive, Carol Danvers. And hot on his trail ... Rick Jones.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyNPfsQQzuhqJ2IHdS77ArJAKAxTceWf_1STfCaRNY-UvPx4YVljN8Am75g2aQF3AB5WAxggaUu52AfvDUTqoNpaF6YY5SDLEkSewZa3cRlGCEjYpghbTMXu2q04bhG_CRxRHnZ3rN6VuNzyN_1wDICyTwYpDo55YzfkXtJpCI-EjHgOcN6kiEZ6Hkg/s1800/cm018_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1800" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyNPfsQQzuhqJ2IHdS77ArJAKAxTceWf_1STfCaRNY-UvPx4YVljN8Am75g2aQF3AB5WAxggaUu52AfvDUTqoNpaF6YY5SDLEkSewZa3cRlGCEjYpghbTMXu2q04bhG_CRxRHnZ3rN6VuNzyN_1wDICyTwYpDo55YzfkXtJpCI-EjHgOcN6kiEZ6Hkg/w400-h184/cm018_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This issue, Captain Marvel battles another monster-on-the-month and Rick meets Mordecai P. Boggs, who bears a passing resemblance to Uncle Dudley Marvel, I think. Oh, and Carol Danvers gets genetically altered ...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Captain Marvel 18</i> (Nov 1969) takes a little time to get going. First there's an unexplained incident where Rick Jones is nearly run over by a random motorist. Then there's a strange sequence at a diner in a nearby town where Rick sings a song, gets into a bar-fight and is offered a recording contract by Mordecai P. Boggs. Captain Marvel then "deduces" where Yon-Rogg is hanging out, though no explanation is ever given as to how he did it. The confrontation with Mar-Vell's mortal enemy is drawn by John Buscema, and during the fracas Carol Danvers is exposed to radiation from a Kree Psyche-Magnitron ... this is important because this is what causes the genetic transformation that allows Carol to gain super-powers and become Ms (later, Captain) Marvel.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBJ4FSe9qkwlNJKMAfZk7u42S5N1qWVy38gDm0j6AWicMN2xCXIsZsczqNvCx8BX1_f8F2z27luyy4lMgaHVQTKPgCQvCGQmOYGoA9FzaDPoXYyYIr5ERtRrUJS3HTae0PjBFFy-tWo_Sa_Qikj2VZvwJUFWx6C8q6NjrELVLOOM34JFSOoqMxhi_Vg/s1800/cm019_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="1800" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBJ4FSe9qkwlNJKMAfZk7u42S5N1qWVy38gDm0j6AWicMN2xCXIsZsczqNvCx8BX1_f8F2z27luyy4lMgaHVQTKPgCQvCGQmOYGoA9FzaDPoXYyYIr5ERtRrUJS3HTae0PjBFFy-tWo_Sa_Qikj2VZvwJUFWx6C8q6NjrELVLOOM34JFSOoqMxhi_Vg/w400-h185/cm019_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Captain Marvel is at the mercy of a mad sociologist, trapped in a death-trap apartment block with hundreds of terrified tenants. Not your usual superhero tale.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The following month, <i>Captain Marvel 19</i> (Dec 1969) finally gave us a story that wasn't just tying up loose ends from previous issues and setting the scene for this new version of Mar-Vell. Rick Jones needs a job and somewhere to live and answers an ad in The Daily Bugle offering accommodation in a luxury high-rise. But the landlord Cornelius Webb is a crazed sociologist who wants test the work of behavourist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner">Burrhus Skinner</a> to see if humans can be conditioned in the same way that rats can. As Webb conjures up illusions and deadly physical traps, Captain Marvel tries to protect the tenants while finding and stopping Webb. But it's Auschwitz survivor, the kindly Mr Weiss, who literally pulls the plug on Webb and causes his downfall.</p><p>It's a little heavy-handed in places, but it does seem to be a genuine attempt to offer a slightly different take on Marvel's usual super-hero tale. The letters page of the issue reveals that the plot came from Gil Kane. And though there's no advance warning on this issue's letters page, the title would be going on hiatus for six months, though no reason was ever given.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFtKFZCWUmqf3K0ipRL-_jlKgsdDfKVLrTNNdHukoyipCSFfdDdBRsTOlViW9ATh0J9EnHbpHf506ENeqGvNvg354rAWh3H_RAJIIgCx2raYsHmZdJ-Zrlo43FmyFR12RDkIdJXO04jPYWJBeRNmZndjh7t3hxXi-FNBAcTyBqVX-9jJ6pJn-lLt54A/s2400/cm020_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="2400" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFtKFZCWUmqf3K0ipRL-_jlKgsdDfKVLrTNNdHukoyipCSFfdDdBRsTOlViW9ATh0J9EnHbpHf506ENeqGvNvg354rAWh3H_RAJIIgCx2raYsHmZdJ-Zrlo43FmyFR12RDkIdJXO04jPYWJBeRNmZndjh7t3hxXi-FNBAcTyBqVX-9jJ6pJn-lLt54A/w400-h138/cm020_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Strangely, there's no mention of The Hulk on the over of </i>Captain Marvel 20<i> (Jun 1970), which is odd, considering it's been six months since the last issue came out, and the title can probably use all the hype it can get.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>When Captain Marvel did return in late March 1970, it was the same creative team and the story picked up without a blip. Rick and Mar-Vell decide that the one person who can help them both out of the Negative Zone trap is Dr Bruce Banner, and the pair resolve to track him down. There is a side plot with some organised looters taking advantage of a natural disaster, but the main part of the tale is the inevitable collision with The Hulk.</p><p>There's still no satisfying explanation given by Marvel for just why the title went on a break. On the letters page, Roy insisted that the last few issues were "sales blockbusters" (really, Roy?) ... but it doesn't seem terribly likely that Marvel would suspend a successful title on a whim.</p>
<p>Also, I don't think it likely that Gil Kane sat around waiting for <i>Captain Marvel</i> to start up again. My guess would be that all the Kane issues were drawn at the same time and the art to <i>Captain Marvel</i> just sat in a drawer until they were ready to publish it.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtknTRrNaluvHakj2YroZShu9kGYPXwEnwW8Xhltxg-DFygkIwE4JJ75RwYrTfe2fkh8YEpmWOHCTJVXM1mP02ttjQ8K8tJ6KPruHwEJXkxx_WLZTWUbaJT8G1PI1IpPtlbmj8H4a_3XbwtFXGNOYE0LuMvI89gYSrdgulRzOtUJTZu2KSdYC1H9_N1Q/s2400/cm021_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="2400" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtknTRrNaluvHakj2YroZShu9kGYPXwEnwW8Xhltxg-DFygkIwE4JJ75RwYrTfe2fkh8YEpmWOHCTJVXM1mP02ttjQ8K8tJ6KPruHwEJXkxx_WLZTWUbaJT8G1PI1IpPtlbmj8H4a_3XbwtFXGNOYE0LuMvI89gYSrdgulRzOtUJTZu2KSdYC1H9_N1Q/w400-h138/cm021_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In attempt to beef up interest in the title, Roy and Gil feature The Incredible Hulk for the final two issues of the title's second "trial period", but ass it turns out, this wouldn't be enough to convince Marvel to continue the series.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Captain Marvel 21</i> (Aug 1970) would signal the swansong of the title for a while. The entire issue is pretty much a battle royale with the mighty Hulk. Mar-Vell is outmatched from the get-go and the fighting only comes to an end when Rick returns to our universe and confronts The Hulk. Some part of the monster remembers his young friend and the creature's anger evaporates ...</p>
<p>The idea of asking for Banner's help in freeing Captain Marvel from the Negative Zone is left unresolved - deliberately according to Roy Thomas' comment in the issue's letter column - so there wouldn't be a change to the concept of Rick Jones and Mar-Vell trading atoms in the immediate future.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2v3ATiJEANPZPjOVSa-sc0I40V73N3Ip4hp7cUeFa0LFYZsOFIiUSVmE_83Sd9iQr6h231X7238turgQexefxJ3tFHC4X89eo-cYbvYdMb0VVJalDa3x-sjUmovjn0UEMWmU5Q8NXsuTsEozANU63O5PrviIWRNaWW9uVSONyE-xb8GStVv0rra7e7A/s1324/Avengers089-093_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="1324" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2v3ATiJEANPZPjOVSa-sc0I40V73N3Ip4hp7cUeFa0LFYZsOFIiUSVmE_83Sd9iQr6h231X7238turgQexefxJ3tFHC4X89eo-cYbvYdMb0VVJalDa3x-sjUmovjn0UEMWmU5Q8NXsuTsEozANU63O5PrviIWRNaWW9uVSONyE-xb8GStVv0rra7e7A/w400-h183/Avengers089-093_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Marvel kept Captain Marvel in front of readers by making him an important player in the classic Kree-Skrull war storyline in </i>The Avengers<i> ... much of it drawn by superstar artist Neal Adams.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Roy Thomas wasn't about to give up on Captain Marvel ... he reintroduced the character in a pivotal role in the Kree-Skrull war that would play out in <i>The Avengers</i> from issue 89 (Jun 1971) to 97 (Mar 1972). This would give Marvel the confidence to re-start the <i>Captain Marvel</i> title a couple of months later with Thomas editing Gerry Conway on script and veteran <i>Superman</i> artist Wayne Boring on pencils. </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgludXGXGb9PePQCaDF3ImwXYL71BH3qopScc5lPDFrp22V2KKGzHkXX2Xefr2Qu3HcERbqpucwaoUGXJgaYAzdCgUB6-nyNlvw5o9LRDT_tkIWWbJwQmyFifGRmrc1dvKD1XWVphJ8lPXIIEv1pOG4auSzubrHcWOzu87AxGauPHBL1z_O8RqbDsgIxA/s1594/cm022-024_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1594" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgludXGXGb9PePQCaDF3ImwXYL71BH3qopScc5lPDFrp22V2KKGzHkXX2Xefr2Qu3HcERbqpucwaoUGXJgaYAzdCgUB6-nyNlvw5o9LRDT_tkIWWbJwQmyFifGRmrc1dvKD1XWVphJ8lPXIIEv1pOG4auSzubrHcWOzu87AxGauPHBL1z_O8RqbDsgIxA/w400-h183/cm022-024_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Quality-wise, the third stab at reviving the </i>Captain Marvel<i> title just sort of matched what had gone before. But the bi-monthly was just setting up the debut of writer-artist Jim Starlin who would shake things up with the introduction of uber-villain Thanos.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>In the haitus, though, DC Comics must have sensed an opportunity. Thinking Marvel's <i>Captain Marvel</i> gone for good - at least in his own title - they entered into a licensing agreement with Fawcett to start publishing a new Captain Marvel comic, on sale just before Christmas 1972, and managed to get the original creator C. C. Beck out of retirement to draw the book. Marvel got wind of their plans and made sure DC didn't nurse any notions of calling the book "Captain Marvel". So DC titled the comic <i>Shazam</i>, and used the Captain Marvel name smaller on the cover. On paper it might have seemed like a great workaround, but Marvel hit DC with a cease and desist order pretty promptly and though the litigation dragged on a bit, by <i>Shazam 14</i> (Nov 1973), DC were forced to remove the "Original Captain Marvel" sub-line from the <i>Shazam</i> covers.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIkHLd58FJWHssQpzoqj0D9oq4JSN6XL1vSqyw7y7JoF0l2S0X-OiYpBimdl7zNRwf_Rgszq0hEPbw0HlPEECL8-0JXmexCrAg5fbLgFmCxrBXvSnmTfNU8gVazWnHJQsgrC_zEIOmeiPsHONYsR-Y3qpIifNclrExdfIgn5bfoeCoc9LBcubiA4A4g/s1329/Shazam001_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="1329" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIkHLd58FJWHssQpzoqj0D9oq4JSN6XL1vSqyw7y7JoF0l2S0X-OiYpBimdl7zNRwf_Rgszq0hEPbw0HlPEECL8-0JXmexCrAg5fbLgFmCxrBXvSnmTfNU8gVazWnHJQsgrC_zEIOmeiPsHONYsR-Y3qpIifNclrExdfIgn5bfoeCoc9LBcubiA4A4g/w400-h180/Shazam001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm not sure what DC were thinking ... the project feels more like a spoiler than a serious attempt to revive a character whose time was up two decades earlier.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Meanwhile, back at Marvel's <i>Captain Marvel</i> book, it was just more of the same with a not-great storyline and art from a skilled but ultimately unsuitable artist. If Marvel was going to make a go of Marvel, something drastic had to happen. Fortunately, a newcomer, Jim Starlin was just a couple of months way from making his debut pencilling the series, then plotting and finally writing and drawing the whole thing himself. He brought his Thanos character with him and that run was to set the character up for a hugely successful six-year run in his own title and numerous spinoffs, including making Carol Danvers a superhero, first as Ms Marvel, then as Captain Marvel in her own right.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_b4uRWMyZffvQ0eDpJjxoHtdFi4OMoRO5YJEISSe0NE9tDNTahYp8wj3W4kDknpYBuD2T1rMxK0aCdpWOufIwIRbuPPeZ31N6OLkVitLGE1N0Z1aamXq3ouKc5wYydmSodzYVC9Qqz2wFUcZmHF8ZFx8gACqNLSHiPPsZgfwN7Dc0ljjgj99LLOJDw/s1529/cm025_03-73.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="1022" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_b4uRWMyZffvQ0eDpJjxoHtdFi4OMoRO5YJEISSe0NE9tDNTahYp8wj3W4kDknpYBuD2T1rMxK0aCdpWOufIwIRbuPPeZ31N6OLkVitLGE1N0Z1aamXq3ouKc5wYydmSodzYVC9Qqz2wFUcZmHF8ZFx8gACqNLSHiPPsZgfwN7Dc0ljjgj99LLOJDw/s320/cm025_03-73.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Now it gets good ... Jim Starlin brought a fresh and different take to the character of Captain Marvel and pretty much made it his own.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But that all took place in the Bronze Age of Marvel Comics and is a subject for another time ... and probably another blog.</p>
<p><b>Next: Classical Art and Comic Covers</b></p>
<p><br /></p>
<p><br /></p>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-48183562111920073742023-03-04T06:03:00.002-08:002023-07-10T02:13:42.379-07:00Captain Marvel: Part 2<p><b>MARVEL COMICS MIGHT HAVE OWNED THE NAME CAPTAIN MARVEL</b>, but I'm not entirely sure writer Stan Lee quite knew what to do with the character, after publisher Martin Goodman insisted the superhero be added to the company's lineup. After writing the first appearance himself, with the ever-capable Gene Colan on art, he handed the reins over to Roy Thomas, for me an indication that Stan didn't have a great deal of faith or interest in the project.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQaFBqRnA-aTkg2MRpE_LiVXczdrAAp1Ybxws1OqY2mm6MQrK59D6YBm7h_g-Dn6uXL__EXmRPbu3ZNhTsqDp-to7nazACHFy4c7QqBOGe97VRW3J57sl4j6r7jyGfI1S-kr5TGDBlathNUp7TzXJp2FQtHZMLjAgsWYxUTqbGWyE4vNaIcG0RA4w5A/s1800/msh012_013.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1309" data-original-width="1800" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQaFBqRnA-aTkg2MRpE_LiVXczdrAAp1Ybxws1OqY2mm6MQrK59D6YBm7h_g-Dn6uXL__EXmRPbu3ZNhTsqDp-to7nazACHFy4c7QqBOGe97VRW3J57sl4j6r7jyGfI1S-kr5TGDBlathNUp7TzXJp2FQtHZMLjAgsWYxUTqbGWyE4vNaIcG0RA4w5A/w400-h291/msh012_013.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The first appearance of Captain Marvel in </i>Marvel Super-Heroes 12<i> was scripted by Stan Lee. With the second appearance, Roy Thomas took over as writer.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>For the origin and background of Captain Mar-Vell, Stan drew on the concepts of the Kree, an alien race first mentioned in <i>Fantastic Four 64</i> (Jul 1967). And in setting up the background for Mar-Vell's story, he fell back on one of his favourite devices, the three-way romantic triangle - The Captain, his love interest Medic Una and the dastardly commanding officer Colonel Yon-Rogg. </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRQD0ov07YKYAdlA8Db74T41jqGIBE5jvF1kdZkiXkeZArvcHxy78ePo0ZWJfCjP25LENOsuwzF50kQb_UV8Z0h28KSEG6M15NL1sr9qw1jZSQ2tjUJWNGYG9vcuv5dBWciZ5RyK29IgwHrIvxZNEopAksjq_-rTyWgfJPqMLujCgIl-nZewaeY6-pw/s1350/msh012_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1350" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRQD0ov07YKYAdlA8Db74T41jqGIBE5jvF1kdZkiXkeZArvcHxy78ePo0ZWJfCjP25LENOsuwzF50kQb_UV8Z0h28KSEG6M15NL1sr9qw1jZSQ2tjUJWNGYG9vcuv5dBWciZ5RyK29IgwHrIvxZNEopAksjq_-rTyWgfJPqMLujCgIl-nZewaeY6-pw/w400-h285/msh012_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>There's not a great deal of plot in the first Captain Marvel story ... what there is is pretty well outlined in the above two pages.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The Captain's here to investigate the destruction of Kree Sentry 459 at the hands of the Fantastic Four, and if necessary, punish the guilty. But the Captain's presence inadvertently interferes with a missile test and within moments he has the US Army hunting him. He disguises himself as a human and registers at a nearby seedy motel under the name of "Marvel" ... and that's pretty much it. Make something of that, if you can, Roy Thomas.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsZtg8ZbXXs8PnRP3Mwwoviyqi4zvSytrBLpT0sO_DrDvztN3Omhz97u3Pf73j4LPXoeNclsZFWcD9tQEdbm5b8czN-qLpv4ds1h3OHltYnOBl3OyGhnbA8btqYBTC0aLEHuQX2aYhCQ6smDNE_inrJ5-d5xvv4sylv1kViAIy5TDqxQWSnnMAPhm4Q/s2211/msh013_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="2211" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsZtg8ZbXXs8PnRP3Mwwoviyqi4zvSytrBLpT0sO_DrDvztN3Omhz97u3Pf73j4LPXoeNclsZFWcD9tQEdbm5b8czN-qLpv4ds1h3OHltYnOBl3OyGhnbA8btqYBTC0aLEHuQX2aYhCQ6smDNE_inrJ5-d5xvv4sylv1kViAIy5TDqxQWSnnMAPhm4Q/w400-h145/msh013_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>There's a lot more going on in Roy Thomas' take on Captain Marvel - Mar-Vell gets a secret identity, we meet Carol Danvers and witness the return of Sentry 459.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>And to be fair, Roy does a bit better than that. Though he has an expanded page count (increased to 20 from the previous issue's 15), he still manages to pack every page with action, plot advancement and menace ...</p>
<p>Colonel Yon-Rogg's enmity towards Mar-Vell accidentally becomes the means by which Captain Marvel acquires the human persona of Walter Lawson. Yon-Rogg tries to blast Mar-Vell with the Kree ship's laser cannon, only to destroy the light aircraft bringing Lawson to the US Army missile base to take up a post as head of research. Lawson is killed in the blast, allowing Mar-Vell to assume his identity. Entering the base as Lawson, Mar-Vell meets Carol Danvers, who will loom large in later iterations of the Captain Marvel saga. It's also revealed that the remains of Sentry 459 have been transported to the base from the Pacific island where it had its fatal encounter with The Fantastic Four.</p><p>The only thing I wasn't mad keen on was Paul Reinman's inking, ill-suited to Colan's punchy and atmospheric pencils and not a patch on Frank Giacoia's inks in the previous issue.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwzkCckAIJE1Rq04Sw1EsA1AOrFVsBEdWxYxs70IjBACci68vD5fvthTfZn1OT62JBEdsO-sMG6_mjTU849s9yfCoWiHr2FUSqqbjLErjrNvkET13PJKmcFcwIIqu8Jx4TW_v41Hljqngh5cwOk2LS21c6OloXHLS1g98nefmARAOvXPyjNyFiiZ-VA/s612/msh013-014_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="612" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwzkCckAIJE1Rq04Sw1EsA1AOrFVsBEdWxYxs70IjBACci68vD5fvthTfZn1OT62JBEdsO-sMG6_mjTU849s9yfCoWiHr2FUSqqbjLErjrNvkET13PJKmcFcwIIqu8Jx4TW_v41Hljqngh5cwOk2LS21c6OloXHLS1g98nefmARAOvXPyjNyFiiZ-VA/w400-h241/msh013-014_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>If you bought </i>Marvel Super-Heroes 14<i> for the next episode of Captain Marvel, then you were destined for disappointment. You got an inventory Spider-Man story from Ross Andru and Bill Everett instead.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>At the end of the instalment, there's the standard Next Issue blurb, telling us to expect more of the same in <i>Marvel Super-Heroes 14</i> ... except that's not what we got. With the sudden and dramatic expansion of the Marvel line in the spring of 1968, Martin Goodman evidently felt that boosting Captain Marvel into his own title would further reinforce his claim to the character's name (and he was also looking to expand the comics line so he could get more money from the prospective new owner of Marvel, Marty Ackerman) ... so that's what happened. I've discussed <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2020/02/exposed-myths-of-marvels-silver-age.html">the 1968 Marvel explosion</a> elsewhere in this blog, so I won't go over the same ground again, but instead of putting the next Captain Marvel story in <i>Marvel Super-Heroes</i>, Goodman ordered Editor Stan Lee to prepare an additional title, <i>Marvel's Space-Born Super-hero, Captain Marvel</i>, which debuted on 8 Feb 1968, cover-dated May 1968, the same month that <i>Iron Man</i> and <i>Sub-Mariner</i> got their own titles.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheus3pZxrxMg5eBHWmWe0R4drB87ghkYS8pyv21cuVIWKjG_M-Evs9IfWnq-SSoC3wr-h6hYRDLIyjgBwFjN3Gds72Dg5TQESt-TUZfJw7R41XFTjYReDOKs9zxmAKjxvSr_InrtetUIPVRPaORTwNh8y_xhPcudx7MFVP3tvSSChIp4TraKhsfXJFRA/s1000/cm001_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1000" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheus3pZxrxMg5eBHWmWe0R4drB87ghkYS8pyv21cuVIWKjG_M-Evs9IfWnq-SSoC3wr-h6hYRDLIyjgBwFjN3Gds72Dg5TQESt-TUZfJw7R41XFTjYReDOKs9zxmAKjxvSr_InrtetUIPVRPaORTwNh8y_xhPcudx7MFVP3tvSSChIp4TraKhsfXJFRA/w400-h293/cm001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Despite having a full two months to prepare </i>Captain Marvel 1<i> (May 1968) for publication, the whole affair feels very rushed, both storywise and artwise.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Roy Thomas and Gene Colan continued the story started in <i>Marvel Super-Heroes</i>, though this time, Colan's pencils were inked by Vince Colletta, probably one of the least sympathetic inkers on Marvel's roster. But somehow, this time, there doesn't seem to be <i>enough</i> story the fill the 21 pages allocated to the last chapter of the story. Essentially, it mostly a battle against the Sentry, peppered with jump-the-shark lines like "He doesn't realise I modified my [jet] belt." and "I did indeed modify the uni-beam". There's also a quick scene back on the mother-ship where Medic Una tries and fails to escape her bonds, and in the latter half of the battle outside the missile base, Captain Mar-Vell once again meets Carol Danvers, the base's Head of Security.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6iWXxEZ_yp83ZoJMS24bcTSaBxEpDeQeX_RwaMb9QwefbuKxRxwqfxgxaWEd-w8O1lnGY9xWcS8zUlbMoV7gxdXmCM8epXioky4LNJyMEW1Be4TSDJcUHK-tJL5XiAykAA0VrzJesMPKqqYXnprxHHm-4uwwLHKeI6g9AbjG2bcKToeJrCezdAHxlg/s1500/cm001_pg08-13_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="1500" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6iWXxEZ_yp83ZoJMS24bcTSaBxEpDeQeX_RwaMb9QwefbuKxRxwqfxgxaWEd-w8O1lnGY9xWcS8zUlbMoV7gxdXmCM8epXioky4LNJyMEW1Be4TSDJcUHK-tJL5XiAykAA0VrzJesMPKqqYXnprxHHm-4uwwLHKeI6g9AbjG2bcKToeJrCezdAHxlg/w400-h125/cm001_pg08-13_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Despite 16 pages out of the 21 pages being taken up with battle action, Roy Thomas still manages to squeeze in scenes with the two important female characters.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Needless to say, The Sentry is defeated, Mar-Vell is accepted as a hero and the title is on the schedule as a monthly. Given that Colan's art does looked awfully hurried , you have to wonder what issue 2 is going to look like.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96VYZr_n_g1fF6fZh6JaNQAUPiTQ9XlWLWzb2FQc7CbLOGDCkkx9PuyC8cGz__xnxXEoCuCOhjmtodTWHOgwsm1mqY2kNpTd3pMsiGWWY36vJ-Vz1hHkCM_LAHajIBzAIdhSQvyttO43fQ789yva_v83iIkRosw-5O4fAD0gZ2lyIXjWycPdLE436qQ/s1800/cm002_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1800" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96VYZr_n_g1fF6fZh6JaNQAUPiTQ9XlWLWzb2FQc7CbLOGDCkkx9PuyC8cGz__xnxXEoCuCOhjmtodTWHOgwsm1mqY2kNpTd3pMsiGWWY36vJ-Vz1hHkCM_LAHajIBzAIdhSQvyttO43fQ789yva_v83iIkRosw-5O4fAD0gZ2lyIXjWycPdLE436qQ/w400-h193/cm002_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tick,tick,tick ... Mar-Vell must defeat the Super Skrull if he's to prevent his own nuclear briefcase from annihilating the US Army missile base and everyone on it.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Well, to be honest, it looked a lot like the previous issue. Vinnie Colletta was still there on inks, doing as little as he could get away with, but Roy Thomas was gamely trying to include more story and less fighting. The plot had the nosey night clerk from the motel "Walter Lawson" was staying at - the one who was snooping around in Mar-Vell's room and finding the standard-issue Kree attache case - deciding that he should turn the case over to the military. What he doesn't know is that in fiddling with the case, he's armed a nuclear device that will destroy everything in a ten mile radius within two hours. Meanwhile, the Skrulls are wondering what a high-profile Kree warrior like Mar-Vell is doing on a backwater planet like Earth, and despatch the Super-Skrull to find out. Yes, you guessed it ... the Super-Skull tries to force Mar-Vell to explain himself, preventing our hero from disarming the nuclear explosive in his attache case. So Roy wasn't altogether unsuccessful here. Penciller Gene Colan does some great action sequences, but there's a lot of three and four-panel pages, to stretch the still rather thin material out to 20 pages.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5wBgVKmJBboFcBBmKUkGFoytNsS6qD6aL1snQU7idSE1TDek3z_9WxhFL-FxqA6l_XTiXT4Ld4pOWib5mQtcKSkykNztV6mH-8yxWFz-RbYvyxEFg0c9CpR2cljbJBRrejvaepiglYvQ8oZvwDD8aRfGrqKGE5aHWVYfVdtoBAuZw_bGx0FoKRdToQ/s1800/cm003_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1800" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5wBgVKmJBboFcBBmKUkGFoytNsS6qD6aL1snQU7idSE1TDek3z_9WxhFL-FxqA6l_XTiXT4Ld4pOWib5mQtcKSkykNztV6mH-8yxWFz-RbYvyxEFg0c9CpR2cljbJBRrejvaepiglYvQ8oZvwDD8aRfGrqKGE5aHWVYfVdtoBAuZw_bGx0FoKRdToQ/w400-h183/cm003_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mar-Vell finally defeats the Super-Skrull by using the same method Mr Fantastic used in </i>FF2<i> ... <b>(spoiler alert!)</b> he hypnotises the alien into forgetting who he is ...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Captain Marvel 3</i> (Jul 1968) has more of the same ... capturing Mar-Vell, the Super-Skrull takes his prisoner to his Skrull ship and tries to extract the secret of Mar-Vell's mission - though it's little more than a three-page recap of the previous chapters of the Kree warrior's story. But Mar-Vell breaks free and leads his enemy up to the edge of Earth's atmosphere, where Mar-Vell's jet-belt begins to fail. Thinking his foe doomed, the Super-Skrull returns to Earth to recover Mar-Vell's attache case (remember that?), while Mar-Vell manages to reach the invisible Kree ship. There's some more obligatory argy-bargy with the mean Yon-Rogg, then Mar-Vell wins permission to return to Earth and beat down on the Super-Skrull some more.</p>
<p>Captain Marvel finally defeats the Super-Skrull - using the time-worm hypnosis trick -and disarms his nuclear briefcase. And that's it for another month.</p>
<p>The following month, in <i>Captain Marvel 4</i>, our hero finds himself trapped in an almost identical plot, except this time the one preventing him from saving the Earth is Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaA-QXkK0LOEuZJG2CNi86yw3OdISu4z0YjteEhZ4ttnJ4BPmNwEb0pGidqI5M1xksQRkoIZCqcCSP2jXheu67oLITY-Kx9Ct6mEY2Ztq8z6EQOjhk0VuXaqz-JiogqRmNKBn2xrYqRGJ5H1lAf0njvGwP04QVeqY5QO1zTx9M9f-BMDhlFA-SMZ9Aw/s1800/cm004_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1800" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaA-QXkK0LOEuZJG2CNi86yw3OdISu4z0YjteEhZ4ttnJ4BPmNwEb0pGidqI5M1xksQRkoIZCqcCSP2jXheu67oLITY-Kx9Ct6mEY2Ztq8z6EQOjhk0VuXaqz-JiogqRmNKBn2xrYqRGJ5H1lAf0njvGwP04QVeqY5QO1zTx9M9f-BMDhlFA-SMZ9Aw/w400-h193/cm004_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My guess is that at the beginning of the </i>Captain Marvel<i> run, Stan had mandated that he battle a few established Marvel characters first to help with sales and to show the readers where in the power pecking-order Mar-Vell stood ...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Namor is on his way to seek help tracking down his enemy Destiny from, of all people, Reed Richards (see <i>Sub-Mariner 3</i>, Jul 1968). At the same time, a test missile is being launched from the base where Mar-Vell poses as Dr Walter Lawson. The missile will carry bacteria into orbit to test their resilience to cosmic rays. But the missile goes off-course and crashlands in the sea close to New York. Mar-Vell hurries to destroy the payload before all of New York is drenched in deadly microbes, and The Sub-Mariner sort of gets in the way.</p>
<p>These last few issues have seemed a bit "by-the-numbers", as though Thomas and Colan were just trying to get a task off their to-do list as quickly as possible. I suspect Stan Lee may have mapped out the course for the first few issues, which Thomas just had to follow. Likewise, it's far from Colan's best work. Compare what he was doing over on <i>Daredevil</i> at the same time (issue 43 came out the same month as <i>CM4</i>) and it's a very different kettle of artwork. And adding to the pressure was the 25 pages of artwork Colan turned in for the Madame Medusa story in <i>Marvel Super-Heroes 15</i> (Jul 1968). Colan had already dropped <i>Iron Man</i> from his workload a couple of months earlier, and <i>Captain Marvel 4</i> would be his last issue. The following month he'd take over <i>Doctor Strange</i> from Dan Adkins and that was an assignment that really played to Colan's strengths. Besides, it would have sublime Tom Palmer inking.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GU7vj6UuaKEXecSUT5KHsZl_WH4FMGqhdtztx0i84ioQcfoisSOPDGro7sM2TYu2FnWYgbUrCLAEHS1I9EqO70zFI3zXXPGXSXxwTohZ-feZOHbuM-kgXS35fm5dpUbzmuimGjx6ZkqmEspZZcej1ApiLeViTB4p7nccgtxO64PMkwa6YVIuyW6Zqg/s1278/Drake_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1278" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GU7vj6UuaKEXecSUT5KHsZl_WH4FMGqhdtztx0i84ioQcfoisSOPDGro7sM2TYu2FnWYgbUrCLAEHS1I9EqO70zFI3zXXPGXSXxwTohZ-feZOHbuM-kgXS35fm5dpUbzmuimGjx6ZkqmEspZZcej1ApiLeViTB4p7nccgtxO64PMkwa6YVIuyW6Zqg/w400-h184/Drake_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Just some of the highlights of Drake's stint at DC ... the </i>Jerry Lewis<i> comic with camp counsellors as Nazis caused less furore than you might imagine.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Captain Marvel</i> was not to be stopped, though. Issue 5 came with a change of personnel. The scripting was assumed by Arnold Drake, who'd toiled for 15 years at DC on strips like <i>Challengers of the Unknown</i>, <i>Bob Hope</i>, <i>Jerry Lewis</i> and most notably <i>Doom Patrol</i>. It was Drake who had confronted Irwin Donenfeld back in the early 1960s, when <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2020/04/exposed-myths-of-marvels-silver-age.html">Marvel was making inroads on DC's sales</a>. Drake had tried to explain to the DC Editorial Director that times were changing and so were the comic audiences. DC needed to change with them if they were going to complete with Marvel Comics. The DC management still weren't listening as Marvel Comics overtook them in sales, and Drake left DC - quit or was shoved, accounts vary - and started working for Marvel around the beginning of 1968.</p>
<p>On paper, Drake probably looked like a good fit to Stan, who was in dire need of experienced writers to help with Marvel's virtually doubled-overnight output. But as I noted in my earlier piece, Drake had realised that Marvel were doing something right, but he struggled to articulate exactly what that was. "Pitch the books at an older readership" is a manifesto, not an instruction manual.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MNpE4mjfhjQkgDxA9D1c-k6pvWsqw4R0BCzlExY42Prn6WVwyn6p3sa1U8qKwNjAg_TVgfX2We_B6smQhLZuSEzYaXi_WITYo-To7lEzn0SgSl-8zebHMhkSndpoEnfC0NayWuQSEvwaKP16FKaQ4DvBj_VqMXKLKWDOAsl2c6DoiDhObeXdSL5H6A/s1800/cm005_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1800" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MNpE4mjfhjQkgDxA9D1c-k6pvWsqw4R0BCzlExY42Prn6WVwyn6p3sa1U8qKwNjAg_TVgfX2We_B6smQhLZuSEzYaXi_WITYo-To7lEzn0SgSl-8zebHMhkSndpoEnfC0NayWuQSEvwaKP16FKaQ4DvBj_VqMXKLKWDOAsl2c6DoiDhObeXdSL5H6A/w400-h189/cm005_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Experienced though Arnold Drake was, he couldn't quite put his (typing) finger on the authentic-sounding Marvel "tone", and as a result, his third scripting job under Stan's editorship rings a little bland.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>So it's not surprising to me that <i>Captain Marvel 5</i> (Sep 1968) could easily have been published by DC. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it ... the story moves along and the dialogue is serviceable, if a little ponderous in places, like a not-very-good pastiche of Stan's writing. But Drake is just finding his feet here - this is his third script for Marvel after <i>Captain Savage 5</i> and <i>X-Men 47</i> - so it wouldn't be fair to be too harsh, at this point.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the Don Heck art job was extremely serviceable. At this point in Marvel's history, poor Don had been abandoned to a certain extent. After losing his regular <i>Avengers</i> gig to John Buscema with issue 40 (May 1967), probably under the pretext that he had the 54 pages of <i>Avengers Annual 1</i> (Sep 1967) to pencil. He returned to <i>Avengers</i> for a fill-in on issue 45 (Oct 1967) and was then assigned to <i>X-Men</i>, one of Marvel's poorest selling titles, from 37 - 55. We know this because when Marvel managed to hire Neal Adams, he asked Stan, "which is your worst selling title?" ... and when Stan said, "<i>X-Men</i>", Adams said, "I'll draw that, then." When Adams took over <i>X-Men</i>, Heck was left with pencilling <i>Amazing Spider-Man 57-64</i> & <i>66</i> (Feb - Nov 1968) over John Romita layouts, <i>Captain Marvel</i> (reassigned to Gil Kane with issue 17, Oct 1969), <i>Captain Savage</i> (reassigned with issue 17, Nov 1969). It's almost as if someone had decided that <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2016/05/ant-man-antics-more-astonishing-tales.html">Heck's services were no longer needed</a> at Marvel. So by the end of 1969, Heck would pack up his pencil and head off to DC where he was better appreciated, drawing great female characters like Batgirl, Rose & Thorn and Wonder Woman.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqSYeXNSP9klytZ-uARpCsSrsV2n7DePpZyopwzaaCWBVYbAYVelY-ELMDjx6U9Y6erZ3CMc3gt5VYoGK_nJCkWSSkkLcCXHZNU9aVwVAj3P_elFDaUlbx9ihSzOhPqhbwHQimrKlX9kN_EZMExnqN_G3HDirP60XBD5x-_nuaerd_fc3pUTcdHbqig/s1800/cm006_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1800" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqSYeXNSP9klytZ-uARpCsSrsV2n7DePpZyopwzaaCWBVYbAYVelY-ELMDjx6U9Y6erZ3CMc3gt5VYoGK_nJCkWSSkkLcCXHZNU9aVwVAj3P_elFDaUlbx9ihSzOhPqhbwHQimrKlX9kN_EZMExnqN_G3HDirP60XBD5x-_nuaerd_fc3pUTcdHbqig/w400-h191/cm006_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The monsters come thick and fast in </i>Captain Marvel 6<i> ... it reads a little like Drake delivered a story synopsis front-loaded with too much story and Stan added the action sequence to kick things off.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The following month, <i>Captain Marvel 6</i> (Oct 1968) gave us not one, but two monsters of the month, behind the Don Heck cover. The first was featured in a spurious action sequence opener for the issue where Mar-Vell battled a simulated monster in a Kree virtual battle exercise. The second is the solar energy generated Solam, and energy beast created by a visiting scientist's ill-considered "tampering with the unknown" style experiment. Captain Marvel defeats the second monster by over-feeding it with energy, a tactic that's been used before in the Marvel Universe ... a No-Prize for the first reader who can identify where.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTPBCrQHMMGXg6aQCJEnbFEWfGqvc0GOj3mOBbJSa5zkHpxMcibcppxW6Uca9jyxqreq6YcK-MsOXRhn27S1gsGAD9Gf_F9JfUKMVy5zKbrJ4XV2wbYgGzN5jYACxjqSue0uIiYOQKoSmZKqLSrRE-n66qnxTSQov2dnuRRIsUSXxUPC7gailx_rMFQ/s1800/cm007_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1800" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTPBCrQHMMGXg6aQCJEnbFEWfGqvc0GOj3mOBbJSa5zkHpxMcibcppxW6Uca9jyxqreq6YcK-MsOXRhn27S1gsGAD9Gf_F9JfUKMVy5zKbrJ4XV2wbYgGzN5jYACxjqSue0uIiYOQKoSmZKqLSrRE-n66qnxTSQov2dnuRRIsUSXxUPC7gailx_rMFQ/w400-h189/cm007_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Captain Marvel's persistent thwarting of evil Yon-Rogg's plan are a bit more interesting than the battle with the obligatory monster ... this month, Quasimodo.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Captain Marvel 7</i> (Nov 1968) cover-starred Quasimodo (last seen battling the Silver Surfer in <i>Fantastic Four Annual 5</i> (Nov 1967) drawn by John Romita, but Drake's script brought a bit more of Mar-Vell's melodrama to the proceedings. First, Captain Marvel faces the accusations of Yon-Rogg (again) for helping the Earthlings defeat last issue's Monster-of-the-Month. Yet, even Ronan the Accuser is unable to make the charges stick. Next up, Yon-Rogg, tiring of Carol Danvers' ongoing investigation of "Walter Lawson" resolves to disintegrate her with a blast of cosmic rays from his ship's cannons ... but Mar-Vell contrives to save her. The rest of the issue has Mar-Vell battle Quasimodo and thwart Yon-Rogg's orders to wipe out a random Earth community with a deadly virus, by appearing to "kill" Quasimodo's humanoid robots with the bacterial sample ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH3yitgrC1lXOjUZIKQSbz2N0BDjQkF5zF5bF1r5fqG-MaeC0nQ_Ds7l1kMYDO53695tYWMTpoSZYPe2QI-3GwGLL5Sb-VP35DUPgDzpmYknHUMTdU6lCrYkRsGlJmeOwRjFe9so14xlk1yz9tuBzfi-UO5K9lGpUItNEYfvhL4kGSShmEBRP4HNedg/s1800/cm008_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1800" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH3yitgrC1lXOjUZIKQSbz2N0BDjQkF5zF5bF1r5fqG-MaeC0nQ_Ds7l1kMYDO53695tYWMTpoSZYPe2QI-3GwGLL5Sb-VP35DUPgDzpmYknHUMTdU6lCrYkRsGlJmeOwRjFe9so14xlk1yz9tuBzfi-UO5K9lGpUItNEYfvhL4kGSShmEBRP4HNedg/w400-h189/cm008_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This was the first issue where I felt that Drake was daring to develop the characters and the backstory a bit ... exposing the real Walter Lawson as a bit of a shady character. Nice to see Gene Colan back on the cover art.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Captain Marvel 8</i> (Dec 1968) opens with a battle between an interloping alien species called The Aarak and Yon-Rogg's Kree expeditionary force. Though Yon-Rogg is wounded in the battle and is recovered by Captain Mar-Vell, he shows little gratitude, relentlessly pursuing his vendetta against his junior officer. After the battle, Mar-Vell returns to Earth and begins to investigate the life of the Earth man he's impersonating, Dr Walter Lawson. Lawson's home is more lavish than a research scientist could aspire to. And beneath the house, Captain Marvel discovers an extensive and well-equipped laboratory. The evidence suggests Lawson had created a large robot, though for what purpose is not disclosed. The mystery deepens when two costumed gunmen enter Lawson's home and start shooting at Captain Marvel. It appears that Lawson had created the robot for some criminal organisation and now the murderous machine is on the loose, cuing up yet another battle between Captain Marvel and a monster. Inevitably, a five-page battle ensues and Captain Marvell apparently destroys the giant robot</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Kkvf9ciI_cxdbneHyTy4VuM6DhWrl2kTNyyh4DTlgjxeYJkb73MrfDMp5R9pyR5QedUxyT_tdtGv8X39DODAKsL56e0qNuPMJsYNgYK916ooA1U2JYAEMxpkhcIpvj9P6_LYQkdkG3UTQqSakp4GiQaYC-yOQWV6SSQ4XD5J4WyU51WbKy9JV7dqlw/s1800/cm009_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1800" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Kkvf9ciI_cxdbneHyTy4VuM6DhWrl2kTNyyh4DTlgjxeYJkb73MrfDMp5R9pyR5QedUxyT_tdtGv8X39DODAKsL56e0qNuPMJsYNgYK916ooA1U2JYAEMxpkhcIpvj9P6_LYQkdkG3UTQqSakp4GiQaYC-yOQWV6SSQ4XD5J4WyU51WbKy9JV7dqlw/w400-h188/cm009_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Last issue the giant robot didn't seen to have a name, being referred to as "robot" or "cyberton" This time out, he calls himself "Cyberex" and everyone else follows suit. Sounds like an editorial correction to me. And another nice Colan cover.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But we're not done with the Aakon - or the robot - yet ... they're all back in the following issue. And because of Yon-Rogg's reckless attack, a retaliation by the Aakon threatens to expose Mar-Vell's Kree mission on Earth. So, here's an abbreviated version of the plot ... Carol Danvers goes snooping around "Walter Lawson's" motel room. The giant robot turns up and takes her as bait for "Lawson". The robot reveals that Lawson is not his creator. Inexplicably. Captain Marvel <i>knows</i> that the robot is holding Carol captive and rushes to rescue her. Yon-Rogg remotely activates Mar-Vell's wrist monitor so the Aakon know where he is ... and of course they attack. Cue the three-way battle between Captain Marvel, the Aakon and the giant robot (who now calls himself Cyberex) lasting a slightly excessive nine pages. It's all a bit humorless and po-faced. I'm not getting the sense, here, that Arnold Drake was able to grasp what it was that made Stan's scripts so memorable. Interestingly, that issue's Bullpen Bulletins bigs up the new Marvel scripters, Archie Goodwin and Arnold Drake. Stan (or maybe Roy) even touts some forthcoming work by Atlas veteran Ernie Hart. In the end that turns out to be the solitary dialoguing job Hart did on <i>Nick Fury 8</i> (Jan 1969), before disappearing from Marvel for the final time.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkvZ611_NI6stQ5Ejf7nAHCCMFYsAbPevx13NuG8BycBs94w7vYMb8AMm8sh-waaPVSiQvDoWBNnBf1CVJjU0uKBhE8HMl9HzeNtcxbiaJeULVWuNZavV7ZXWAhKTvsJZDHJJUaoKyAIidpHjwWYbYIrWLb86Ys8k8daviAAptzrYPtDs4RdC88MWkg/s1800/cm010_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1800" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkvZ611_NI6stQ5Ejf7nAHCCMFYsAbPevx13NuG8BycBs94w7vYMb8AMm8sh-waaPVSiQvDoWBNnBf1CVJjU0uKBhE8HMl9HzeNtcxbiaJeULVWuNZavV7ZXWAhKTvsJZDHJJUaoKyAIidpHjwWYbYIrWLb86Ys8k8daviAAptzrYPtDs4RdC88MWkg/w400-h190/cm010_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Marvel 10 <i>plods its way through Arnold Drake's plot. But Heck delivers some nice work here. I really like his layout on page 10.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>In <i>Captain Marvel 10</i> (Feb 1969), we begin to learn a bit more about The Organisation, the criminal outfit that sent the Cyberex robot after "Walter Lawson", and its leader, Number One. Mar-Vell, too, is destined to discover more about his underhanded foes, as Ronan the Accuser orders him to gather information on The Organisation in case The Kree have to "deal with" them one day. However, The Organisation captures Carol Danvers and invites "Walter Lawson" to surrender to them. Captain Marvel goes in his place and initially pretends to be interested in an alliance, but slips a gas capsule to Carol that she can use to escape. Then all heck breaks loose and Mar-Vell finds himself facing an aging ray, apparently created by the real Lawson. Mar-Vell turns the ray on The Organisation and pretty much cleans their clock. But there's unexpected fallout from his victory. Yon-Rogg orders Captain Marvel's immediate execution.</p>
<p>And that pretty much closes the door on The Organisation, a kind of bargain-basement AIM, without the interesting bee-keeper outfits. I wasn't terribly sorry to see the back of them. I was a bit sorry to see Heck leave the book, though ...</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpXgCbiHzU9FBaG7LsNLy0DBk6HNrIbTDquBR9Ipe3Z8N6PLJb2iaBb1jO5iCr9PL7bum7Xar3nZbj4l-34_yktUyubOYbG9iIXrtT7j9pAwX5BAOZcPPrVTPpVD4FVh4Uy5BT4V_aOKHN875c1vmPDk4sQbpZflnTjTIM9TjUtAJ58Aj1It7kGG1dQ/s1800/cm011_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1800" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpXgCbiHzU9FBaG7LsNLy0DBk6HNrIbTDquBR9Ipe3Z8N6PLJb2iaBb1jO5iCr9PL7bum7Xar3nZbj4l-34_yktUyubOYbG9iIXrtT7j9pAwX5BAOZcPPrVTPpVD4FVh4Uy5BT4V_aOKHN875c1vmPDk4sQbpZflnTjTIM9TjUtAJ58Aj1It7kGG1dQ/w400-h190/cm011_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Why the Barry Smith cover and the rushed Dick Ayers interior art? I'd speculate that the inexperienced Barry was supposed to do the insides but ran into scheduling problems and Ayers had to bail Marvel out. But pure guesswork on my part.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><i>Captain Marvel 11</i> (Mar 1969) sported an interesting Barry Smith cover, one of his first works as Marvel. Channelling Kirby, Smith's art is is even more extreme, and it might have been more interesting if Smith had drawn the interior art. But what we got was a very rushed-looking Dick Ayers pencil job, not helped by Vinnie Colletta's usual slapdash inking. Arnold Drake's script takes Mar-Vell in a completely new direction. I don't know what went on behind the scenes. Perhaps sales weren't all that Stan was hoping for, but with this issue Drake brings in some sweeping changes. He kills off Medic Una, which I think was for the best. That storyline wasn't going anywhere. He also gets rid of Mar-Vell's weapon, the Uni-Beam, and gives our hero actual superpowers - through the agency of Zo and his conveniently lovely gaggle of handmaidens.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrDDn7XvQYM5YYA0pTEFYSuDtKfS168nrn0IlosOpzRvzK3ITQF7fCYh5sstjQZgbkSrUwfk1ECZk9EFt6n9BkZYewU1xV6ycTu3rfxRi7s8BvNQGGtClJSQowWWrzzRQpZbH0_DQbl3eyiExk-63iB6EO50mihH4YJw1f_-y0prQTi9pxXuFq0gRow/s1800/cm011_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1800" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrDDn7XvQYM5YYA0pTEFYSuDtKfS168nrn0IlosOpzRvzK3ITQF7fCYh5sstjQZgbkSrUwfk1ECZk9EFt6n9BkZYewU1xV6ycTu3rfxRi7s8BvNQGGtClJSQowWWrzzRQpZbH0_DQbl3eyiExk-63iB6EO50mihH4YJw1f_-y0prQTi9pxXuFq0gRow/w400-h191/cm011_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The way in which Captain Marvel gets a makeover is all a bit contrived ... can it be a coincidence that "Zo" is Oz backwards? Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain ...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The catch is that going forward, Captain Marvel will become a tool of the alien intelligence Zo and that may or may not involve some tough moral choices ... but I'm getting ahead of myself.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiGmn96JghyJxLy8ITkeC9FbQ5fr2f-Dlj0knDoj-2oBXn8RTPEkJsRHUohCuS3YdtzusI_SXFEq7Vx315P_e6cSvIZ0iuJ3E6x55gf0o9Ea9TQ-nGe5vajMkR_giqY61gRrbeqXrjobiFel17bt0z9jVIM7kq9DvUKEuyrql08YMnGY_WAljCKtrrA/s2400/cm012_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="2400" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiGmn96JghyJxLy8ITkeC9FbQ5fr2f-Dlj0knDoj-2oBXn8RTPEkJsRHUohCuS3YdtzusI_SXFEq7Vx315P_e6cSvIZ0iuJ3E6x55gf0o9Ea9TQ-nGe5vajMkR_giqY61gRrbeqXrjobiFel17bt0z9jVIM7kq9DvUKEuyrql08YMnGY_WAljCKtrrA/w400-h141/cm012_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A hugely better art job from Dick Ayers in </i>Captain Marvel 12<i>, almost as if he's trying to blot out reader's memories of last month's lacklustre art, but the pace of Arnold Drake's storytelling is glacial.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>So, as <i>Captain Marvel 12</i> (Apr 1969) gets under way, Mar-Vell returns to Earth and tries to resume his Walter Lawson identity. I'm not sure why, as he's no longer under any obligation to carry out his Kree mission. And posing as Walter Lawson won't conceal his presence from Yon-Rogg .. but as "Lawson" returns to the missile base a plastic robot, The Manslayer, attacks and Captain Marvel ventures forward to defend the base. In another location, Natasha Romanova, The Black Widow, is stalking the controller of the robot, presumably on a SHIELD mission. Though The Widow manages to stop the robot, she's captured by the bad guy controlling the robot, to be held as a hostage against some future threat.</p>
<p>This would be the last issue from Arnold Drake and Dick Ayers. In fact, shortly after this, Drake would finish up his run of <i>Captain Savage</i>, with issue 16 (Sep 1969), pack up his typewriter and move over to Gold Key. It wasn't a memorable run, and I don't think Drake ever really understood the Marvel way of doing things.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlc6WDlZw0_iWfoqrysXqcF5J-qCyicfawH68u4HKCTwMdgAJZ76tRf31wmoiaXBl6nDzXmdNI52IwbuTTHWT-nDFQjY51T5I07S7aEO12QH5SlW9yIo2cZQJ7KyHvOgz-eE6aCb4vPEc0m-lxMCtcVzygBPdh4h5pPTOVLhsdChoBDEW6N1s_iVUgw/s562/Arnold-Drake.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="562" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlc6WDlZw0_iWfoqrysXqcF5J-qCyicfawH68u4HKCTwMdgAJZ76tRf31wmoiaXBl6nDzXmdNI52IwbuTTHWT-nDFQjY51T5I07S7aEO12QH5SlW9yIo2cZQJ7KyHvOgz-eE6aCb4vPEc0m-lxMCtcVzygBPdh4h5pPTOVLhsdChoBDEW6N1s_iVUgw/w400-h301/Arnold-Drake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Arnold Drake: 1 Mar 1924 - 12 Mar 2007</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Drake would spend the rest of his comics career writing a variety of titles for Gold Key, contributing a long and memorable run on <i>Little Lulu</i>, and even returning to DC where he scripted <i>Phantom Stranger</i> and wrote a few stories to DC's war titles, most notably <i>Weird War Tales</i>. Drake had pretty much retired from comics around 1985, and died in 2007 after a short battle with pneumonia.</p>
<p>But that wasn't the end of Captain Marvel's publishing troubles. Marvel Comics would continue to struggle to find a strong commercial direction for Mar-Vell, and I'll be looking at the rest of his rocky early progress in the next instalment of this blog.</p>
<p><b>Next: A superhero in search of a USP</b></p>
<p><br /></p>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-89938284161028591172023-01-07T04:02:00.003-08:002023-07-10T02:12:04.129-07:00Captain Marvel: Part 1<p><b>THE ORIGINS OF CAPTAIN MARVEL ARE MIRED</b> in a minefield of trademark and copyright legal battles, some ill-advised, most poorly handled. But that acrimonious history between DC Comics' Harry Donefeld and Jack Liebowitz, sleaze publisher Myron Fass and Marvel publisher Martin Goodman ultimately brought us to the Carole Danvers version of the character.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL0_81uRuYi_jq9PbwfSE_ka4Agxr3wYqfK-sIKO_Q3ZeeFIUrvYw1vULkJutpngGb88Tipsm6t64k8Iz_j-LnQiY7FPrqbvetUtDGUgC3f86FrR-cgQEVmHgO_Kb4tUAVK4pLydesuwEInWM1NVI5ehkk0_rx0Rr2ixrujFHDKw0Xe775twVU_qICw/s1398/CarolDanvers.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1398" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL0_81uRuYi_jq9PbwfSE_ka4Agxr3wYqfK-sIKO_Q3ZeeFIUrvYw1vULkJutpngGb88Tipsm6t64k8Iz_j-LnQiY7FPrqbvetUtDGUgC3f86FrR-cgQEVmHgO_Kb4tUAVK4pLydesuwEInWM1NVI5ehkk0_rx0Rr2ixrujFHDKw0Xe775twVU_qICw/w400-h200/CarolDanvers.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Marvel's version of Captain Marvel has undergone a long and complicated evolution before becoming the female warrior best-known to modern audiences, starting in 1967, with the alien spy, Captain Mar-Vell.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>It was 1967, and Marvel publisher Martin Goodman had noticed a superhero comic on the newsstands called "Captain Marvel". Though Goodman had no legal case against "Captain Marvel" publisher Myron Fass, it must have irked him to see his by-then hugely success "Marvel" trademark being used by a low-level bottom-feeder like Fass ... especially given the involvement of Carl Burgos, who was engaged in suing Goodman over the ownership the Human Torch character.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOKJw2obyKneGe4km1Km4OybTlEMTv7U7MgvYSfFTgMH0e1_LL8vlNQIFg67TW11JaiErcX7I98GF3xBKG-sixbqHItUD50BI560-momk4OA7nII4DQAEFi7imx5EXtOAhyUp0fpmI3KY-7TNtIIFrOijHtO4vyOeIOEbhQrFbkqclob6o1sKKUeVnw/s1248/CaptainsMarvel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="1248" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOKJw2obyKneGe4km1Km4OybTlEMTv7U7MgvYSfFTgMH0e1_LL8vlNQIFg67TW11JaiErcX7I98GF3xBKG-sixbqHItUD50BI560-momk4OA7nII4DQAEFi7imx5EXtOAhyUp0fpmI3KY-7TNtIIFrOijHtO4vyOeIOEbhQrFbkqclob6o1sKKUeVnw/w400-h188/CaptainsMarvel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Marvel <i>ceased in 1953, after losing the will to battle DC's lawsuit that claimed Captain Marvel was a copy of Superman. In 1966 opportunist publisher Myron Fass figured he'd use the name for his comic character. Marvel's Martin Goodman launched</i> his Captain Marvel<i> in 1967.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>So Goodman first tried to negotiate with Fass to see if he could acquire the name legally. Fass turned down Goodman's offer of $6000. It's hard to know why because Fass later admitted to the Wall Street Journal that the comic was selling an average of 100,000 per issue from a 250,000 print run, a rather poor 40% sell-through (and significantly below breakeven).</p>
<p>In any event, Goodman wasn't deterred and, probably thinking that Fass didn't have any trademark on the character, ordered Marvel Stan Lee to come up with a Marvel take on the character name. Still strait-jacketed by the unfavourable distribution deal he'd been forced to sign with Jack Liebowitz and Independent News, Goodman had nowhere to park <i>his</i> Captain Marvel except within the pages of his reprint title <i>Fantasy Masterpieces</i>. Hastily rebranded as <i>Marvel Super-Heroes</i>, a title he'd published a year earlier to tie-in with the Marvel Super-Heroes animated tv show, the new Captain Marvel hit the stands in October 1967. Fass must've gotten wind of Goodman's plans and had quickly printed the final issue of his Captain Marvel ("<i>... Presents the Terrible Five</i>") in September 1967, exactly a year after the character had last been on the stands.</p><p>As it turned out, Fass <i>had</i> taken out a trademark registration, and sued Goodman (also naming Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, Gene Colan and Eastern Color Printing, along with Independent News) for infringement. The matter was finally resolved out of court, with Goodman paying Fass $4,500 for the Captain Marvel trademark. Shoulda taken the six grand, Myron ...</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">THE BIG RED CHEESE</h3><p>The acrimony surrounding the comic character name of "Captain Marvel" goes back a lot further than Martin Goodman and Myron Fass. Dial back to 1939. A new character from Detective Comics Inc, Superman, was already setting the publishing word alight. Sales were booming, despite the doubts of Detective Comics publisher Harry Donenfeld, who had ordered the character off the covers of <i>Action Comics</i> after issue 1. By the time he realised his mistake, <i>Action Comics</i> was already up to issue 7 (Dec 1938)</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwgL2R1ob_ff3FYQFxC4O9HovfHH4OS6kDL_abq9NVYrZCFdejZ1Ava2nY0SRBRQM9m6dQ1Yqcj1-l1RxM-_YVUqfIRWM6c2-mjat84V4wsQA3Neb3n85tBWM2FIiVlR5RzgdBvltj8wvizl5anEyWzRADbfmal73TeBYhxo3p3DFZQzHLowXQiE1tA/s1272/Action1938_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="1272" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwgL2R1ob_ff3FYQFxC4O9HovfHH4OS6kDL_abq9NVYrZCFdejZ1Ava2nY0SRBRQM9m6dQ1Yqcj1-l1RxM-_YVUqfIRWM6c2-mjat84V4wsQA3Neb3n85tBWM2FIiVlR5RzgdBvltj8wvizl5anEyWzRADbfmal73TeBYhxo3p3DFZQzHLowXQiE1tA/w400-h174/Action1938_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The first few covers on </i>Action Comics <i>depicted rather mundane subject matter without, it has to be said, much action. But when National Publisher Harry Donenfeld saw the sales figures, he ordered Superman be on every cover going forward.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>If the other comics publishers needed some sort of sign that the future was in long-underwear characters, Donenfeld had just given them one. Even so, Detective Comics was slow to act on its own intelligence. Superman didn't return to <i>Action</i> covers until issue 13 (Jun 1939). It was that same month that <i>Superman 1</i> appeared. The character next showed up on the cover of <i>Action 15</i> (Aug 1939), and with 16 (Sep 1939), Superman began appearing in the top left corner of every <i>Action</i> cover. And that was likely the catalyst that galavanised Fawcett Publications into pulling together their own answer to Superman.</p><p>There had already been a couple of Superman copycats ... earlier in 1939, Will Eisner had cobbled together a quickie rip-off character for Fox Comics, Wonder Man. The character managed one appearance in <i>Wonder Comics 1</i> (May 1939, on sale in mid-March) before the wrath of Harry Donenfeld came crashing down upon them, and Wonder Man was never seen again.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhhIfV2VOygZ5BcZGBdcf6WWt8T_QcFOQjYuG2LIInC0AYerZHnrJvIUXC3yTozIJ2GW1K166dq7MUv-8bgIV3QAzajmlSYiTIkH7l4Xpquo1gDEblKJuX3zmFeGg3JuI7bBLpfrKz4_fRfQQZMQa3WzTbfR-w-y8pLpNPtXHWZfkWZJXbE90kdQhQw/s836/SupermanClones_1939.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="836" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhhIfV2VOygZ5BcZGBdcf6WWt8T_QcFOQjYuG2LIInC0AYerZHnrJvIUXC3yTozIJ2GW1K166dq7MUv-8bgIV3QAzajmlSYiTIkH7l4Xpquo1gDEblKJuX3zmFeGg3JuI7bBLpfrKz4_fRfQQZMQa3WzTbfR-w-y8pLpNPtXHWZfkWZJXbE90kdQhQw/w400-h271/SupermanClones_1939.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>You could probably make a case for Will Eisner's Wonder Man being a swipe of Superman, but it's a bit of stretch to claim the same of Bill Everett's Amazing Man, whose powers seem more like The Shadow's than Superman's.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The other superhero from around this time was Amazing Man, often mentioned as another Superman clone, though I don't see it. Created by Bill Everett, for Centaur Comics, with some input from art director Lloyd Jacquet, Amazing Man first appeared in <i>Amazing Man Comics 5</i> (Sep 1939, on sale mid-August). The character's origin sounds more like Doctor Strange than Superman (trained to superhuman level by Tibetan monks) and his power seems to be just invisibility. The claim that he was a Superman clone probably comes from a quote from a letter written by Everett's mother Grace that says, "I’m going to spend all day tomorrow at the Public Library, doing some research work for Bill. He has a new character, for a strip which Jacquet wants him to do in competition with the new one now being syndicated – called the 'Superman' I think. We’ve wracked our brains for a new kind of character; and all I can think of now is to back over some old folk tales, foreign ones if necessary, and try to find some unusual character around which we can build an unusual story for these modern times." Amazing Man would continue, undisturbed by Donenfeld's litigious Detective Comics until <i>Amazing Man Comics 26</i> (Jan 1942). Fawcett's stab at a superhero wouldn't be quite so lucky ...</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyw0iszHyo4NkVgMru7Fs0_G4SZnfZiBGZxA9a2LZawBTlsev1YU7fPKvTtO6Gc7uW2dcrv8sZwJOnkZ3Y9diAD1jFzmOcRZ8ovU9O_soeGoaYmuZByhvggN-qjfSUTkQJRL1m4LADKs9jjF-08YznuQdFybWZ_BAMYtszHu8IavAxaFuTEdMRXO3bhA/s707/CaptMarvel_Billy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="707" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyw0iszHyo4NkVgMru7Fs0_G4SZnfZiBGZxA9a2LZawBTlsev1YU7fPKvTtO6Gc7uW2dcrv8sZwJOnkZ3Y9diAD1jFzmOcRZ8ovU9O_soeGoaYmuZByhvggN-qjfSUTkQJRL1m4LADKs9jjF-08YznuQdFybWZ_BAMYtszHu8IavAxaFuTEdMRXO3bhA/w400-h366/CaptMarvel_Billy.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Fawcett Publications was founded in 1919 by by Wilford "Capt Billy" Fawcett, with their first publication, <i>Capt Billy's Whiz Bang</i>. Pretty soon, the company had a monthly circulation of 10 million per month, spread across several publications, including <i>Mechanix Illustrated</i>, <i>Family Circle</i> and <i>True Confessions</i>. And in 1939, Fawcett decided to get into the comics business.</p>
<p>Newly-installed staff writer Bill Parker began mapping out a roster of characters that would feature in the company's first 64-page anthology title, tentatively titled <i>Flash Comics</i>. The initial lineup included Dar Dare (no relation), Scoop Smith, The Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey, along with costumed characters Ibis the Invincible and Spy Smasher. But for the lead slot, Parker planned to showcase a team of superheroes, the first in comics, each granted his single power from one of the mythical Greek gods. Fawcett Executive Director Frank Daigh wasn't keen, preferring to have just the one hero with multiple powers, so Parker re-tooled his team into a single character, Captain Thunder, and Charles Clarence "C.C." Beck was hired to create a look for the character.</p>
<p>"When Bill Parker and I went to work on Fawcett's first comic book in late 1939, we both saw how poorly written and illustrated the superhero comic books were," Beck told Tom Heintjes in a 1980s interview. "We decided to give our reader a real comic book, drawn in comic-strip style and telling an imaginative story, based not on the hackneyed formulas of the pulp magazine, but going back to the old folk-tales and myths of classic times." And that's an important point for later ... Superman was very much a science fiction character and Captain Marvel was rooted in myth and magic.</p><p>And ashcan copy of the new <i>Flash Comics</i>, sporting Captain Thunder on the cover, was prepared to secure copyrights on the titles and characters, but DC beat Fawcett to the punch by getting their ashcan of <i>Flash Comics</i> out first.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-jV3u2fZtXNrCYi12L5SKCmV_wiQ4SJFT4QfO-9FJSEj4SGzNpHRfA-GgUgNZauUJQ0sGx35wMjFPF4nXwH4SYOrrft6MVvYKxDWVWNhK3VhgOCjObEJtXae4o8L_Vt09pRySa5UWMUHLAL1cl2frVA3SYtzeaCylWqr_bHQLh8G6nj5Tfsj3xxJ6A/s1300/FlashComics001_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1300" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-jV3u2fZtXNrCYi12L5SKCmV_wiQ4SJFT4QfO-9FJSEj4SGzNpHRfA-GgUgNZauUJQ0sGx35wMjFPF4nXwH4SYOrrft6MVvYKxDWVWNhK3VhgOCjObEJtXae4o8L_Vt09pRySa5UWMUHLAL1cl2frVA3SYtzeaCylWqr_bHQLh8G6nj5Tfsj3xxJ6A/w400-h268/FlashComics001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Back in the early days of comics, "ashcan" editions were published, sometimes just the single copy, to secure a legal claim to a title by virtue of being first.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Undeterred, Fawcett revamped their <i>Flash Comics</i> into <i>Thrill Comics</i> and tried again. But guess what? Yup, another publisher, Ned Pines' Better Publications, came out with <i>Thrilling Comics</i>.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TaExS-U_PX0xyupN_QZEDoCl0AuxCOa2cCRhp81h4SEGx9oAdNbePNGqQA_MkNTHtUPRrsErd0Asfb7ICI10_OnSlj8qgXkjPOmhxFvisGbMjJwoyksL4u-X8jot6iJQy_Z7YONzP4X0irip24IXvshv675uAo0_Taoulgqzp5S6-F7Z7uBRnYu5JA/s845/ThrillingComics_ThrillComics_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="845" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TaExS-U_PX0xyupN_QZEDoCl0AuxCOa2cCRhp81h4SEGx9oAdNbePNGqQA_MkNTHtUPRrsErd0Asfb7ICI10_OnSlj8qgXkjPOmhxFvisGbMjJwoyksL4u-X8jot6iJQy_Z7YONzP4X0irip24IXvshv675uAo0_Taoulgqzp5S6-F7Z7uBRnYu5JA/w400-h264/ThrillingComics_ThrillComics_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Though different, Fawcett management probably thought </i>Thrill Comics<i> was too close to </i>Thrilling Comics <i>and, ironically, wanted to avoid a lawsuit.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But third time's a charm, right? Another change of logo and artwork and Fawcett finally came out with <i>Whiz Comics</i>, featuring Captain Marvel on the cover in an alternate take on the famous <i>Action Comics 1</i> cover art.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRi3Pfn-WVhf8PJRXIU4TrNVV3YWeryocSlFJOgG7Qlie-KNRAuskgwmUzw1o9EonzHKd5zzTpJ0kJjKTRNkv4VGPteMGXZoxLgZOECi6hOvVB0zwCEEiKd_tNft614vb2P6VOFiGXtr2og8S03gVdz1JIKCbq6g-fGWKsoo1MvcoKiOv1TE4RPop7xg/s821/Action001_Whiz002_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="821" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRi3Pfn-WVhf8PJRXIU4TrNVV3YWeryocSlFJOgG7Qlie-KNRAuskgwmUzw1o9EonzHKd5zzTpJ0kJjKTRNkv4VGPteMGXZoxLgZOECi6hOvVB0zwCEEiKd_tNft614vb2P6VOFiGXtr2og8S03gVdz1JIKCbq6g-fGWKsoo1MvcoKiOv1TE4RPop7xg/w400-h264/Action001_Whiz002_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Accident or design? Both characters' first appearances involved them hurling automobiles, a surefire way of letting readers know that the character was stronger than any normal human.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The early Superman stories in <i>Action Comics</i> concentrated on societal ills. Superman was shown slapping a wife-beater around in the very first ever story. By contrast, Captain Marvel went with whimsy and this fresh take was an instant hit with younger readers.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcoBP8yi_f_BWuEtxXllLrxxQ-_Tc-GsCQPquOdiu9I90Y2AywyCdBMDqQ0aH0KGwMel5WhfIyDZGOWqks2smJ7DHovnT7CC5cqRVKDhBvMimR9YjgDR6zQ1O1RqOFHPKUyaygaN6OF1qLphHDj6FCw8TpogK1tY8b2NvwV35Vy96ZqFeY27hLONv7g/s1279/CaptMarvelAdv_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1279" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcoBP8yi_f_BWuEtxXllLrxxQ-_Tc-GsCQPquOdiu9I90Y2AywyCdBMDqQ0aH0KGwMel5WhfIyDZGOWqks2smJ7DHovnT7CC5cqRVKDhBvMimR9YjgDR6zQ1O1RqOFHPKUyaygaN6OF1qLphHDj6FCw8TpogK1tY8b2NvwV35Vy96ZqFeY27hLONv7g/w400-h178/CaptMarvelAdv_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The first issue of </i>Captain Marvel Adventures<i> was unnumbered and hastily drawn by Jack Kirby, presumably because Beck was tied up with the art for </i>Whiz Comics<i>. Issue 2 followed three months later. By issue 6, it was monthly.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Six months in and Captain Marvel had his own title, something it took Superman nearly twice as long to achieve. Captain Marvel Adventures went monthly with its sixth issue (Jan 1942). Superman remained bi-monthly until the beginning of 1954, when it went to eight times a year. So you can see why National Periodicals might feel a bit threatened by this upstart.</p>
<p>Even more galling for DC/National ... when <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2014/07/superheroes-on-early-1960s-screen.html">Republic Studios came looking for a superhero</a> to feature in one of their Saturday morning chapterplays, DC were playing hard-to-get, so what should have been a Superman serial became <i>The Mysterious Dr Satan</i>, featuring a substitute hero, Copperhead.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXjx2NDMge41AQW7lmrX54SsM3qLYETUEZFSqsMtSo3oYNc-n0IRDWmzzEKr0nt1q_E7BfoATaXWcT2uCK5PPxgv5jVG8DvJB1UhXVb0XW3ajFFrM_HPiRyNtn9J-7gnVVPeTAsRecepG1KLzobTiN31S--VUVvH0zOaLpDFILGOjN1sU-BXnuNvpng/s920/CopperheadCaptMarvel_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="920" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXjx2NDMge41AQW7lmrX54SsM3qLYETUEZFSqsMtSo3oYNc-n0IRDWmzzEKr0nt1q_E7BfoATaXWcT2uCK5PPxgv5jVG8DvJB1UhXVb0XW3ajFFrM_HPiRyNtn9J-7gnVVPeTAsRecepG1KLzobTiN31S--VUVvH0zOaLpDFILGOjN1sU-BXnuNvpng/w400-h219/CopperheadCaptMarvel_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>DC/National clearly had an unrealistic view of the importance of Superman in the real world. After two attempts to bring Superman to the screen, Hollywood studio Republic gave up on DC and went with Fawcett's Captain Marvel instead.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Strangely undeterred, <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2018/03/serials-first-super-hero-movies.html">Republic took another swing at a Superman serial</a>, but DC/National's executive editor Whitney Elsworth proved as difficult to deal with as ever, and finally losing patience altogether, Republic simply approached Fawcett and licenced Captain Marvel for a serial instead ... and that, more than anything else I think, triggered the start of the DC lawsuits in 1941.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaKtYQGNNAAwlKKhfyyXtc3w8WY_-KHByIDzfJd0PhSyQaUb89wtNjpOqOg5U0mMQVeCup_iyo_mEFYLw2iT28-LmlRv0wcZeAM9vLwUp47ZOETwAE0um0R-nONfTGQPqsXM5lVRZejCeQe15L0QqYk3Zwxc-iG0i3KGO9wB829suehrc15kt_07uEg/s1302/MarvelFamily_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="1302" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaKtYQGNNAAwlKKhfyyXtc3w8WY_-KHByIDzfJd0PhSyQaUb89wtNjpOqOg5U0mMQVeCup_iyo_mEFYLw2iT28-LmlRv0wcZeAM9vLwUp47ZOETwAE0um0R-nONfTGQPqsXM5lVRZejCeQe15L0QqYk3Zwxc-iG0i3KGO9wB829suehrc15kt_07uEg/w400-h169/MarvelFamily_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fawcett also created spin-off characters - Captain Marvel Jr and Mary Marvel were the most successful - but there were also the Three Lieutenants Marvel, Uncle Dudley Marvel and even Hoppy the Marvel Bunny.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>After a lot of back and forth - and probably thousands in legal fees - the case came to trial in 1948. In 1951, the presiding judge decided that because DC/National had failed to secure the correct copyrights on their newspaper strips of Superman, they were deemed to have abandoned the ownership of the Superman character, and Fawcett were free to continue with Captain Marvel.</p><p>National appealed, of course, and in reviewing the case a new judge ruled that though he didn't consider Captain Marvel, <i>per se</i>, an infringement on Superman, some of Marvel's super-feats could be, and sent the matter back to the lower courts for retrial.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcB3NTS-sVOzoK9Xc8DEB31BpO9Pufwf_mrkTi6aV1nTN1MUb8qLZrjcPLVLMq-4Z_FViMMRcJv0WGLsaoniGoNiHZqVw-IyS-iu6ESmmMowH-XcFFBLMBpsALUqp1FIPZAKsJmyTzyQOYd6DEGUm7sSO3-CXUuJk1VirwC9h2rhbYbyLUAFjq7XhVrQ/s1735/SuperFamily_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="1735" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcB3NTS-sVOzoK9Xc8DEB31BpO9Pufwf_mrkTi6aV1nTN1MUb8qLZrjcPLVLMq-4Z_FViMMRcJv0WGLsaoniGoNiHZqVw-IyS-iu6ESmmMowH-XcFFBLMBpsALUqp1FIPZAKsJmyTzyQOYd6DEGUm7sSO3-CXUuJk1VirwC9h2rhbYbyLUAFjq7XhVrQ/w400-h135/SuperFamily_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It took him a few years, but Superman editor Weisinger did transform his Superman franchise into the kind of multi-book affair that the Marvel Family had commanded in the previous decade.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>But with sales in post-war decline, Fawcett took the decision to settle with National and withdrew Captain Marvel - and the legion of spin-offs and related characters - from the newsstands in 1953. Could it be coincidence that around the same time, DC's Dark Overlord Mort Weisinger began expanding the Superman mythos to include super-pets and super relations, like Krypto, Supergirl, and giving supporting characters Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane their own books?</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GZMCpgoGbULr5E0ELg-5AYIP2BgxCXOdETHtOG9cywRlisxIf8Qe4AA54kMM1jGsoQOouO8I3fMeYEAVZgdJmlOI9MJSFoHXdC6D33pwnR_70ZdC2IH6_-wUKU6oXaODiOrKNJ_wM1k-OTpVIf5FBCcsnt-D2v5PrUypk7en0e7vpDMTvsJveVjeLQ/s597/Shazam001_02-73.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GZMCpgoGbULr5E0ELg-5AYIP2BgxCXOdETHtOG9cywRlisxIf8Qe4AA54kMM1jGsoQOouO8I3fMeYEAVZgdJmlOI9MJSFoHXdC6D33pwnR_70ZdC2IH6_-wUKU6oXaODiOrKNJ_wM1k-OTpVIf5FBCcsnt-D2v5PrUypk7en0e7vpDMTvsJveVjeLQ/s320/Shazam001_02-73.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div>
<p>DC/National eventually bought the rights to publish Captain Marvel themselves, but when they brought out the revived character in 1973, they couldn't call the book "Captain Marvel" as Marty Goodman's Marvel Comics owned the trademark on that name.</p>
<p>Which sort of brings us full circle ...</p>
<p><b>Next: Will the real Captain Marvel please stand up?</b></p>
<p><br /></p>
<p><br /></p>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-70069712370620546592020-09-30T13:40:00.015-07:002022-11-23T10:26:40.739-08:00Marvel, Magic and Strange Tales: Part 3<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>BACK IN THE MAGICAL DAYS OF MY YOUTH,</b> Steve Ditko was my favourite artist and Spider-Man was my favourite comic. While I can certainly remember the earliest Doctor Strange strips in the back of <i>Strange Tales</i>, the later ones remain a little hazy in my recollections. This may be because the first few Strange stories were self-contained and had punchy - if a little familiar - plots by Stan Lee. The later Doctor Strange tales were darker and labyrinthine affairs created mostly by Steve Ditko and merely dialogued by Stan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTLTUlrmhlU/X1yNd7afNtI/AAAAAAAAF1U/g51rGRexlDUOu1b4eS_DBmb0ckTenvtqACLcBGAsYHQ/s373/DrStrange.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="373" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTLTUlrmhlU/X1yNd7afNtI/AAAAAAAAF1U/g51rGRexlDUOu1b4eS_DBmb0ckTenvtqACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/DrStrange.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><i>Though Doctor Strange began his run in </i>Strange Tales 110<i> (Jul 1963), he wasn't cover-mentioned until </i>Strange Tales 117<i> (Feb 1964), and wasn't shown on a cover until </i>Strange Tales 118<i> (Mar 1964), making him one of the most obscure back-up features in Marvel Comics.</i></span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">I say "merely", but anyone who has read earlier editions of this blog will know that, as a writer and former editor myself, I am one of the last to minimise Stan Lee's contributions to the Marvel machine. Few critics understand the sea-change that Stan brought to the industry when he decided to switch from plot-driven storytelling to character-driven. But in the back half of 1964, it was plain that Stan had struggled to come up with the right plotting approach for Doctor Strange, and would take a step back and leave that task to Ditko. What Stan does deserve credit for is the unique and engaging catch-phrases and mythos of the Doctor Strange strip. As the series progressed from the earliest five-pagers to the more substantial ten-pagers that started with <i>Strange Tales 125</i> (Oct 1964), you could see more and more of the now-familiar tropes emerging. We see "The Master" renamed "The Ancient One" (<i>ST115</i>), "Vishanti", "Hoggoth" and "Dormammu" mentioned, and Mordo established as the main threat.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">What is striking is the thematic similarities between Dr Strange and Steve Ditko's other project, Spider-Man. Both are outsiders, largely separate from society, and from the other Lee-Kirby heroes (there are cross-overs, but they seem forced and artificial). And both have ageing, frail relatives that they need to take care of. And, perhaps because the style and themes of Doctor Strange don't sit comfortably alongside the more mainstream Lee-Kirby comics, Stan stands a little further back from the character and lets Ditko steer the magician's career, and "merely" adds polish and some degree of characterisation in the dialogue, but not much.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PHw-ZRN0rbA/X2XnGTtTWBI/AAAAAAAAF1s/m6zoEdoqSjQSfmwy_eXL7L1jCCFJ1CZjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST125_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Strange Tales 125 montage" border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1200" height="291" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PHw-ZRN0rbA/X2XnGTtTWBI/AAAAAAAAF1s/m6zoEdoqSjQSfmwy_eXL7L1jCCFJ1CZjwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h291/ST125_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Though the inking is still supplied by Roussos (I'm guessing to give Ditko space to finish up on the </i>Spider-Man Annual<i>), the storyline in </i>Strange Tales 125<i> seems to have more Ditko input than Lee, despite the co-plot credit awarded by Grand Comicbook Database.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Nowhere is this more evident than with the Doctor Strange story in <i>Strange Tales 125</i> (Oct 1964), which acts as a kind of prologue to the mega-epic to come. When Strange is attacked by "three followers of Mordo" in his sanctum, he renders them insubstantial with a gesture and wonders why Mordo would order such an obvious feint. As if by magic, Mordo himself appears to tell Strange that The Ancient One is Mordo's captive, and that without his mentor's aid, Strange is now vulnerable to Mordo's magic. Thus begins a globe-spanning chase with Doctor Strange fleeing before Mordo, and taking in the landmarks on the way.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3YUTgDaXD1I/X2XzehvnsqI/AAAAAAAAF14/ulB5UGjiEH0qKbSUQztrBJcPxKbFcubTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST125_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="1200" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3YUTgDaXD1I/X2XzehvnsqI/AAAAAAAAF14/ulB5UGjiEH0qKbSUQztrBJcPxKbFcubTACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h191/ST125_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>For much of the story, Doctor Strange appears to flee in fear of Mordo, but he's merely fooling his foe and searching for a way to free The Ancient One from Mordo's power.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>But it turns out that Strange's running was only a surreptitious way of searching the globe for a trace of his Master. Once he's located the Ancient One, Strange feels free to defeat Mordo using the power of his amulet and to liberate The Ancient One from the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. The story ends with Master and Pupil safe, though unsuspecting to the terrible ordeal that awaits them in the very next issue.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rGWdrqsfjT0/X2X4IFwlZvI/AAAAAAAAF2E/HzzPbi2xLvQxaiL5z_HU9bHcNX3MneXTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST126_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1200" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rGWdrqsfjT0/X2X4IFwlZvI/AAAAAAAAF2E/HzzPbi2xLvQxaiL5z_HU9bHcNX3MneXTACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h290/ST126_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Unusually, Doctor Strange gets almost a third of the cover artwork space this time, his biggest cover appearance to date. It does suggest that Stan's soft-selling of the strip had little to do with it being Steve Ditko's baby, as this seems to around the time that Ditko was asserting his ownership of the feature.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>With <i>Strange Tales 126</i> (Nov 1964), Steve Ditko was back and firmly in the driving seat. He was again inking his own pencils and it really showed. There was a massive uptick in the quality of the art, and you really had the feeling that there was something Important about to happen. And, of course, there was. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2xyC6gdPMEg/X2YDRWlWkPI/AAAAAAAAF2k/qRrZwVTtYWoB2e_fKAZ4gcS1eg0KNQ_dQCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/ST126_AncientOne.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2xyC6gdPMEg/X2YDRWlWkPI/AAAAAAAAF2k/qRrZwVTtYWoB2e_fKAZ4gcS1eg0KNQ_dQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ST126_AncientOne.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>With Steve Ditko back on inking, you can see the huge improvement in the quality of the art. Here, the texture of The Ancient One's skin looks authentically aged, the shadows and the two-source lighting finely rendered.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Though, mentioned only the dialogue previously, this is the first time we actually get to see Dormammu. Though known mainly for having a head that resembles the FF's Human Torch, in this first appearance, Dormammu is coloured blue.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BAKZqRXpapE/X2YBQvnJ30I/AAAAAAAAF2Q/iqsqBzn8rdYuxPjERRvctvLftoZpOCRyACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/ST126_Dormammu.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BAKZqRXpapE/X2YBQvnJ30I/AAAAAAAAF2Q/iqsqBzn8rdYuxPjERRvctvLftoZpOCRyACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ST126_Dormammu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dormammu was, for this ten-year old, a genuinely terrifying figure. Devoid of humanity and shockingly powerful, I really did fear for Doctor Strange's safety.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>But there are other interesting aspects to this Doctor Strange instalment. It marks the first appearance of another Strange regular, Clea ... here portrayed as a naive if decent citizen of Dormammu's realm. She will try - and fail - to warn Doctor Strange away from his confrontation with Dormammu.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o8vvnOEf6-4/X2YCNjW6r5I/AAAAAAAAF2Y/dGK_yp1p7mMq158Bff8e0xTbNXqKajpZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s650/ST126_Clea.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="650" height="294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o8vvnOEf6-4/X2YCNjW6r5I/AAAAAAAAF2Y/dGK_yp1p7mMq158Bff8e0xTbNXqKajpZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h294/ST126_Clea.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I think Steve Ditko drew beautiful women, and Clea was one of my favourites. And it's a testament to Ditko's talent that he makes Clea seem somehow more than human, but less than alien.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Clea will feature large in the legend of Doctor Strange, but for the moment, she has no more than a cameo appearance. And the episode ends on something of a cliffhanger, with Strange and Dormammu posturing, but not actually fighting ... for that we would have to wait a month for <i>Strange Tales 127</i> (Dec 1964).<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fYqoOsiylGE/X2YNsf69LvI/AAAAAAAAF2w/DFrE2CKCpZMjFJAO13lf-4QFjbA8inMvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST127_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1200" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fYqoOsiylGE/X2YNsf69LvI/AAAAAAAAF2w/DFrE2CKCpZMjFJAO13lf-4QFjbA8inMvwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h289/ST127_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dr Strange and Dormammu featured on the cover. Clea a captive. And the Mindless Ones set to invade and destroy all who live under Dormammu's rule. I'd buy that for 12c.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The second part of Doctor Strange's first meeting with the Dread Dormammu sees the two foes-to-be join in battle. But even before the confrontation begins, Clea reveals that even in the unlikely event that Doctor Strange should prevail against Dormammu, then all the inhabitants of his realm are doomed ... for it is only the sheer willpower of Dormammu that holds the Mindless Ones at bay, behind an invisible barrier. Should Dormammu fall, then all his subjects will perish.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's pretty much what happens ... all except for the perishing bit. For Dormammu's battle is no easy one. Doctor Strange is stronger than he anticipated and as he gives more and more attention to the fight, his control over the Mindless Ones begins to erode, until finally, they are free to invade Dormammu's realm. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJje3Gfptyc/X2YWm7ZaLcI/AAAAAAAAF28/E8n9clplvuMHDukySKzjPPfZ_toRqnFgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST127_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJje3Gfptyc/X2YWm7ZaLcI/AAAAAAAAF28/E8n9clplvuMHDukySKzjPPfZ_toRqnFgACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/ST127_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I really like Ditko's plotting here, very typical of his style. Dr Strange must battle and defeat Dormammu. But if he prevails, the people of Dormammu's realm will die. His perfect opportunity to win is when Dormammu give his attention to the invading monsters, but instead he helps his foe.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Almost contemptuously, Dormammu turns his back on Strange to halt the advance of The Mindless Ones. It's Doctor Strange's chance to strike. Yet he holds back. For the Mindless Ones threaten Clea and her people too. So, like the hero he is, Strange joins with Dormammu to stop The Mindless invaders. Thus, he defeats Dormammu without defeating him. Now the Evil One is in Strange's debt, even worse than defeat for one such as Dormammu.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzswYG7F2ZA/X2YX5qLoI5I/AAAAAAAAF3E/v7Frf2-Z7ZcIm7mHPuqRYLLR8fkrWoVigCLcBGAsYHQ/s871/ST127_pg10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzswYG7F2ZA/X2YX5qLoI5I/AAAAAAAAF3E/v7Frf2-Z7ZcIm7mHPuqRYLLR8fkrWoVigCLcBGAsYHQ/w275-h400/ST127_pg10.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Typically, the triumphant Doctor Strange doesn't get the girl ... but he does get a Cloak of Levitation and a new and improved amulet.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>When Doctor Strange returns to his own world, The Ancient One rewards him with a Cloak of Levitation and a new, upgraded mystic amulet (though it's not made clear how this is better than his old one).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpJR1FCyF6A/X2dIN85TMUI/AAAAAAAAF3Q/5m-3KSW4nT46iFlE3GQQvAfhYtkJgw23gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST128_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpJR1FCyF6A/X2dIN85TMUI/AAAAAAAAF3Q/5m-3KSW4nT46iFlE3GQQvAfhYtkJgw23gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/ST128_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"The Dilemma of the Demon's Disciple" is a bit of a non-story. The central idea is weak, there is no sense of danger and nothing terribly interesting happens. There's not even a Dilemma to solve. This appears to be a Ditko plot, but Stan the Editor ought to take some of the blame.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The next couple of Doctor Strange adventures are a bit of an anti-climax after the Dormammu battle. <i>Strange Tales 128</i> (Jan 1965). As a foe, The Demon is a bit of a non-starter. An upstart magician with a solitary disciple, The Demon never really poses a threat to Doctor Strange, and because of that, the story lacks menace. The only neat bit of plotting here is that the Cloak of Levitation, bestowed upon Doctor Strange last issue by The Ancient One, is his means of escaping The Demon's final trap. So there's that ... but otherwise an unmemorable tale.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rSTLFBoUi_Y/X2dZSR7Bm7I/AAAAAAAAF3g/z3p-G8jHshof55DXyGjBnPHF-4uWRzJRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST129_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1200" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rSTLFBoUi_Y/X2dZSR7Bm7I/AAAAAAAAF3g/z3p-G8jHshof55DXyGjBnPHF-4uWRzJRgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h286/ST129_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Beware Tiboro" is awfully reminiscent of those old Lee-Ditko fantasy tales in the back of every Marvel fantasy anthology ever. And what's with the strange felt-marker inking on the story's splash page?</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The Doctor Strange story in <i>Strange Tales 129</i> (Feb 1965) is a bit of an odd fish. It's another Ditko solo plot, with a script by Timely and Atlas veteran Don Rico ... and it's pretty bad. Stan had trailed it cheerily enough in the previous month's "Strange Mails" letters page: "... one of the old-time greats of comicdom, Don Rico, who used to work with Stan a zillion years ago in the Golden Age of Comics, has come back to the fold. And, for his very first new appearance in this, The Marvel Age, Don will do the script for Dr Strange. We're very anxious to get your reaction to it - and we predict you'll flip over his fast-paced style! And Stan couldn't be prouder of his old buddy."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qdkbgJUGy1o/X2dl_6taf5I/AAAAAAAAF3w/_wQJkZVF16w_VX3hwZ1qbBPDLhNIO6SFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ToS052-53_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1200" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qdkbgJUGy1o/X2dl_6taf5I/AAAAAAAAF3w/_wQJkZVF16w_VX3hwZ1qbBPDLhNIO6SFQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h284/ToS052-53_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>There's a lot of striking again going on in this Iron Man two-parter, which introduced the Black Widow (as a coutured Russian spy, rather than a super-heroine). Plotted by Stan and scripted by Don Rico under the name "N. Kokok", this material was published at a time when Stan was experimenting with other writers on the Marvel line.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I have to take issue with Stan's claim that this is Don Rico's first Marvel work. It isn't. Rico had scripted another Marvel story a few months earlier, a two-parter in <i>Tales of Suspense 52 & 53</i> (Apr & May 1964), which featured the first appearance of Soviet agent The Black Widow. And as proud as Stan may have been of his old buddy, Rico was quick to pour scorn on Stan a few years later in a 1974 joint interview with Jack Kirby for the comic fanzine <i>Mysticogryfil</i>, "Stan Lee to my knowledge was not even a writer when he began. He was a kind of editor and then discovered if you put some words together, you got a story out of it, you found a formula. It's still working for him. It worked for him in the old days, and it's working for him now." Thanks, old buddy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">At the end of the "Strange Mails" letter column in this issue, Stan again trails the next issue: "Dr. Strange begins a new, different type of series next month! Just for a change, Stan asked Steve to dream up a real far-out plot, and if you hadn't guessed it before, you're about to learn that sterling Stevey Ditko has one of the most inventive, off-beat imaginations anywhere! Don't say we didn't warn you! The next one's gonna be DIFFERENT!" So confirmation, if any were needed, that Ditko is plotting the Doctor Strange series by himself by this point. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rfl1Wy0ww5c/X2dol2OoGDI/AAAAAAAAF38/Q4e4KcO8jkYlJsYyeGiJlzbbFgBLbORCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ST129_StrangeMails.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1063" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rfl1Wy0ww5c/X2dol2OoGDI/AAAAAAAAF38/Q4e4KcO8jkYlJsYyeGiJlzbbFgBLbORCQCLcBGAsYHQ/w266-h400/ST129_StrangeMails.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Can all five letter writers be wrong? Should Doctor Strange be the lead strip in </i>Strange Tales<i>? Or is Stan just cherry-picking comments from readers to boost Doctor Strange and contradict his earlier notion that Doctor Strange was "nothing special"?</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>It's also interesting that every single letter in this column is praising Doctor Strange and insisting it becomes the lead strip. So if Stan had any doubts about the character, surely they've been dispelled by now ... whatever conclusions we draw, Stan was right about one thing. The next run of Doctor Strange stories - in reality one 17-part epic - would be a fitting capstone to Steve Ditko's time at Marvel.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The next five Doctor Strange stories would form a kind of first act to the overall drama of what would come to be known as The Eternity Saga. The first three episodes would form an initial battle against Mordo and his silent partner Dormammu, as they force Doctor Strange onto the back foot and chase him across this world and others. The fourth episode would be a break from the main plot where Doctor Strange would overthrow the despotic ruler of another dimension, then return to face Mordo again and ensure the safety of The Ancient One.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gmaF_swvzJo/X28BQdWv6wI/AAAAAAAAF8k/K_FAb5U2ICw6grMaCVNCCKvT9DuvuaAAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST130_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1200" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gmaF_swvzJo/X28BQdWv6wI/AAAAAAAAF8k/K_FAb5U2ICw6grMaCVNCCKvT9DuvuaAAQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h285/ST130_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">While Stan does acknowledge the importance of the new Doctor Strange storyline, he still gets Jack Kirby to do the cover ... and it's not a scene that appears in the story. It's an odd choice because, at the time, I think Torch and Thing in Beatles wigs may have been a better-selling cover.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">In the telling of these Ditko-plotted stories, we'd see Stan take a slightly less active part, and begin crediting Ditko as solo-plotter. Ditko's art - perhaps energised by his new freedom - also goes up a few notches in quality. But I did find myself wondering whether Ditko might also be scripting - with Stan adding a few editorial flourishes - as the dialogue doesn't scan like Stan's work at all.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDfKuZif-V4/X28EcOdEXRI/AAAAAAAAF8w/y6aqz4xJFf0F5kHvrEbEz7e1_DFxhrZmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST130_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1200" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDfKuZif-V4/X28EcOdEXRI/AAAAAAAAF8w/y6aqz4xJFf0F5kHvrEbEz7e1_DFxhrZmgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h281/ST130_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Strange Tales 130<i> has Doctor Strange harassed by Mordo (backed secretly by Dormammu, here coloured green) and his lesser followers, fleeing from country to country across the globe while trying to figure out why Mordo is suddenly so powerful.</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">"The Defeat of Dr. Strange" begins in <i>Strange Tales 130</i> (Mar 1965), and it's established immediately who the main players are. Bound by a vow never to attack Doctor Strange or Earth, Dormammu is using gullible Mordo as a tool through which to remove Strange as an obstacle to his conquest of our world. Arrogantly, Mordo believes it's an equal partnership, though I don't think anyone told Dormammu that.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Having parked The Ancient One safely somewhere in the Himalayas, Strange is now free to formulate a plan to put a stop to Mordo's nonsense. His first stop is Hong Kong, where he contacts The Ancient One's accountant and obtains papers and a passport so he can travel conventionally and incognito. But that goes awry, when Mordo's followers spot him and give battle. Doctor Strange barely manages to escape and is once again on the run.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TQpjYxAHUD0/X28L_lnsK1I/AAAAAAAAF88/LmmwyZwP22w9rVr20Ace2C-VfvQRIX6WwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST131_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1200" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TQpjYxAHUD0/X28L_lnsK1I/AAAAAAAAF88/LmmwyZwP22w9rVr20Ace2C-VfvQRIX6WwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h290/ST131_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Once more, Steve Ditko's splash page is a more dramatic and effective piece of art than the actual cover of </i>Strange Tales 131.<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">In <i>Strange Tales 131</i> (Apr 1965), Doctor Strange tries to wrong-foot his pursuers by escaping from Hong Kong by conventional means. He boards an aircraft bound for New York. But one of Dormammu's wraiths finds him and a battle ensues aboard the plane unnoticed by Strange's fellow passengers.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6pq2_PYi15I/X28NzOunZsI/AAAAAAAAF9I/19rX9NDBVFY7bydFTLtXzoY1d7D_NpvBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s977/ST131_pg09_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="977" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6pq2_PYi15I/X28NzOunZsI/AAAAAAAAF9I/19rX9NDBVFY7bydFTLtXzoY1d7D_NpvBgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h195/ST131_pg09_edit.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>One of my favourite Doctor Strange scenes. Airline passengers sit oblivious in a physical plane as a mystical battle rages around them on the astral plane.</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">Vanquishing the wraith, Strange takes the creature's place just long enough to signal to other pursuing wraiths that Strange is not on the plane ... and thus he escapes successfully to fight another day.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This episode doesn't really extend the story very much. It's more of an incident, details some inconclusive mystical skirmishes and a fortunate escape for Doctor Strange. At some point he's going to have to stop running and stand his ground. But there's more to come.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mDAs57p3_j8/X28_y3aV7HI/AAAAAAAAF9U/FGOBIwBc_KUW-wp7uauWgjceStPF_U6kQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST132_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1200" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mDAs57p3_j8/X28_y3aV7HI/AAAAAAAAF9U/FGOBIwBc_KUW-wp7uauWgjceStPF_U6kQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h289/ST132_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>After several initial appearances coloured green, The Dread Dormammu finally appears as a redhead. It always amused me that he looked like an evil cousin of the Human Torch ...</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Strange Tales 132</i> (May 1965) sees Doctor Strange back in New York, seeking to use the Eye of Agamotto to discover who is helping his foe, but Mordo has left one of his minions encamped within the Sanctum at Bleeker Street. Strange must deal with the guardian without Mordo's knowledge, a seemingly impossible task.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjVVNl8BC7A/X29LghsV-kI/AAAAAAAAF9g/8BOJxJ4ziSwN3mEaXV5zwxmXNUBER0q0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST132_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1200" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjVVNl8BC7A/X29LghsV-kI/AAAAAAAAF9g/8BOJxJ4ziSwN3mEaXV5zwxmXNUBER0q0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h284/ST132_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>This is some of Steve Ditko's finest art on the series. The rainy gloom of nighttime New York is perfectly captured here, and Ditko packs in a lot of story with his nine-panel grids. But just who is the obnoxious midget challenging Doctor Strange?</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">How Dr Strange gets past Mordo's watchdog is silly but amusing ... and it's counterbalanced by a feverish Ancient One repeatedly mentioning "Eternity", as though that is the answer to Doctor Strange's challenges.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Apj4WMwtmew/X29MsZJcfII/AAAAAAAAF9o/RkCWNS1u5CIkU1125dvgXvFm7XN_jusMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/ST132_pg10_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="700" height="394" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Apj4WMwtmew/X29MsZJcfII/AAAAAAAAF9o/RkCWNS1u5CIkU1125dvgXvFm7XN_jusMQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h394/ST132_pg10_edit.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Say his name ... the penny drops for Doctor Strange.</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">The big face-to-face showdown with Mordo comes at the end of the episode ... and though Doctor Strange finally recognises who is the Power behind Mordo, he doesn't voice the name. Which is odd, because we, the readers, already know that Dormammu is the real baddy here ... but for Strange, the realisation comes too late. Staggering under Mordo's onslaught, Doctor Strange begins to literally fade away.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6zAJiQXZAEI/X29W2LImZ7I/AAAAAAAAF90/L9u8hwqzxpsjsPF7E5hiK2ZAXfyQSMzMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST133_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1200" height="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6zAJiQXZAEI/X29W2LImZ7I/AAAAAAAAF90/L9u8hwqzxpsjsPF7E5hiK2ZAXfyQSMzMwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h288/ST133_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>An interlude for Doctor Strange, facing another foe in another dimension. The cover to </i>Strange Tales 133<i> is credited to Jack Kirby, but it sure doesn't look like it to me. Kirby layout perhaps, and Mike Esposito finishes?</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Strange Tales 133</i> (Jun 1965) is a bit of a pause in the main storyline. For Doctor Strange didn't simply disappear moments before his destruction at the hands of Mordo, but actually escaped into another dimension ... a dimension ruled by a despotic sorceress know as Shazana. It's not a bad story, by any means, but I should imagine that most readers were eager to get back to the war with Mordo and Dormammu. But even in his weakened state, Doctor Strange is able to defeat Shazana and free the people of her dimension from her tyranny. In the process Strange appropriates Shazana's power and, recharged, prepares to return to our world for his showdown with Mordo.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_W-6riOS_Y/X29dpf3A1zI/AAAAAAAAF-A/1hce1lCSX1E-7ivXcTFzjjCIKtAj6t8kQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST134_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1200" height="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_W-6riOS_Y/X29dpf3A1zI/AAAAAAAAF-A/1hce1lCSX1E-7ivXcTFzjjCIKtAj6t8kQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h288/ST134_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I'm a little surprised that Stan let this cover go through. To me it looks like "Strange Enter Tales" featuring The Watcher. Very hard to see Johnny and Ben among all the visual noise. If ever there was a case for Doctor Strange making a better cover, surely this is it.</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">When Doctor Strange returns in <i>Strange Tales 134</i> (Jul 1965), he's only marginally better off. Though fortified with Shazana mystical energies, he's still no match for Mordo wielding Dormammu's power. Learning of The Ancient One's warning about "Eternity" Doctor Strange thinks he may find the answer among his master's arcane scrolls. But a moment's carelessness means Strange is spotted by one of Mordo's wraiths and within seconds Mordo is alerted and arrives to finish Strange off.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37PHNmzYQ1o/X29gW0zA1BI/AAAAAAAAF-M/ELM7giC-avEdKXDgfeHLrjg6fRybuEuBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST134_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1200" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-37PHNmzYQ1o/X29gW0zA1BI/AAAAAAAAF-M/ELM7giC-avEdKXDgfeHLrjg6fRybuEuBACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h285/ST134_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I really like the little "atomic" swirls dancing around Mordo and Doctor Strange, a very effective way of portraying solar energy. Notice how Stan is bigging up Steve Ditko in the final caption box.</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet, as the battle rages, back in Dormammu's realm, Clea determines to help Strange by once again releasing the Mindless Ones. Distracted, Dormammu leaves Mordo to battle Doctor Strange alone and the tide turns. Strange lures Mordo towards the sun, knowing that its broad spectrum of radiation can harm even ectoplasmic forms. Mordo lacks the courage to follow and once again, Doctor Strange escapes defeat, bringing the first act of the saga to a close.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6vT31Fw2fys/X29kUs-obNI/AAAAAAAAF-Y/g6PsmA5C5hMJuxNbNdaq3-KbBb2-ZqxyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST135_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1200" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6vT31Fw2fys/X29kUs-obNI/AAAAAAAAF-Y/g6PsmA5C5hMJuxNbNdaq3-KbBb2-ZqxyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h289/ST135_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>This is the first time that Steve Ditko is officially acknowledged by Stan as plotter in the credits, though it's pretty certain that he's been creating the plots by himself as far back as </i>Strange Tales 130, <i>perhaps even earlier.</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">The next episode, in <i>Strange Tales 135</i> (Aug 1965), has Doctor Strange travel to England to consult with an old friend and fellow disciple of The Ancient One who may have some information about "Eternity". This kicks off the middle section of the extended storyline where Stephen Strange begins to come closer to learning the secret of "Eternity". </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3H4Gswzyk0/X29o82PZdPI/AAAAAAAAF-k/7bp7XkmLoIkZgvnLi73RGuJK6DKtOC51wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST135_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3H4Gswzyk0/X29o82PZdPI/AAAAAAAAF-k/7bp7XkmLoIkZgvnLi73RGuJK6DKtOC51wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/ST135_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The mystical battle with Mordo and his minions is fun, and I love the clever way Ditko has Doctor Strange animate the suit of armour, so they think he's hiding inside it.</i><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course, it turns out that Sir Baskerville is no longer a disciple of The Ancient One, but one of Mordo's allies. But before Mordo can be summoned again and another battle kicks off, we see Dormammu discover that it was Clea who summoned forth The Mindless Ones, thereby saving Doctor Strange just a few episodes earlier. The episode closes out with Doctor Strange making another hairsbreadth escape from Mordo, but leaving him no closer to the secret of "Eternity" than he was before.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Doctor Strange's next appearance, chronologically, would be in <i>Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2</i> (on sale 1st June 1965), where he teams up with Guess Who. However, that story makes no mention of the bigger quest Doctor Strange is on, so I don't see much point in covering that story here. In fact, I think the Marvel Annuals deserve their own posts, something I'll get round to some time later. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-thGgShahsDw/X29uVBcpQMI/AAAAAAAAF-w/3fagrBCLmJ0fLGi1B5XweoRadPUrfVIqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST136_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1200" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-thGgShahsDw/X29uVBcpQMI/AAAAAAAAF-w/3fagrBCLmJ0fLGi1B5XweoRadPUrfVIqQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h289/ST136_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That's a great splash page to the story, bound to suck in even the most casual of readers. And Ditko's design for the "transposed" Doctor Strange is eerie and striking.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Strange Tales 136</i> (Sep 1965) shows Doctor Strange stepping up his desperate quest for the secret of Eternity. He roams the globe, contact one mystic after another, asking each the same question. None have an answer, except for one crazy old galoot who hands Strange an ancient scroll. Following the spell in the scroll, Strange is transported to another dimension where he encounters another loopy, unnamed ruler who steals his form and his magic. But the dopey dictator reckons without the Cloak of Levitation and is speedily despatched, and Doctor Strange is once again, back in our realm with still no clue about the secret of "Eternity". Now, his only course is to probe the mind of the comatose, Ancient One, as task that could be fatal.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0XThQY-d25U/X3B6QNS06qI/AAAAAAAAF-8/1OJxdeNv-KUsnb23tHgd15ZIUNadawkEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1800/ST136_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="1800" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0XThQY-d25U/X3B6QNS06qI/AAAAAAAAF-8/1OJxdeNv-KUsnb23tHgd15ZIUNadawkEQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h188/ST136_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's a bit of a shame that Ditko gave us another filler episode, but I have to admit, the artwork is rather brilliant. And I like the tantalising glimpses we get of other mystics dotted around the world. How much fun would it have been if they'd all had larger roles to play in the story?</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>This instalment is not a million miles away from the Shazana tale back in <i>Strange Tales 133</i>, and I'm sure it's intended to fulfil exactly the same purpose - to give readers a meaningful pause before the next intense battle in Mordo and Dormammu's war against Doctor Strange. And I don't think that's a bad thing in itself, but I would have liked to have seen a different idea for the between-battles-breather, rather than having a previous one re-hashed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">However, the sub-plots add interest, with Clea's efforts to aid Doctor Strange uncovered by Dormammu and device of having the secret of "Eternity" locked inside the dormant mind of The Ancient One ... and of course, Ditko incredible sense of design and pacing. So any complaints I might have a minor niggles.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XdbqwJlWyJo/X3CVvxhIHBI/AAAAAAAAF_I/lPcw0D2K0CEz-2tmGbN5SVasnEqyEav1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST137_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="1200" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XdbqwJlWyJo/X3CVvxhIHBI/AAAAAAAAF_I/lPcw0D2K0CEz-2tmGbN5SVasnEqyEav1ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h290/ST137_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Desperation can something precipitate reckless acts. Here, Doctor Strange attempts the dangerous process of joining his mind with that of The Ancient One ... which results in dire consequences.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Strange Tales 137</i> (Oct 1965) marks the halfway point of the epic. And is no more than Doctor Strange trying to pry the secret he's so long sought from the mind of his master. But this is a Steve Ditko tale, and we already know how he can take a simple event and spin it into pages of dramatic conflict. And it's the same with this ten-page sequence. Doctor Strange overcomes one mystic barrier after another as the comatose Ancient One's subconscious mind strives to protect itself from Doctor Strange's probing. But the deadlock is broken through Strange's insight and thus the secret of "Eternity" is revealed. It only remains for the Master of the Mystic Arts to step through the portal generated by his amulet and Strange's goal is at last won.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Or so it would seem ...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQQ3xEHIBWE/X3CYfzek68I/AAAAAAAAF_U/S7YSi7gjuWIF79JkhH4xpDqrn6fWPlhswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST138_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1200" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQQ3xEHIBWE/X3CYfzek68I/AAAAAAAAF_U/S7YSi7gjuWIF79JkhH4xpDqrn6fWPlhswCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h284/ST138_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Finally, Doctor Strange finds himself in the realm of Eternity. And it turns out to be one of Ditko's best dimensional landscapes.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>"If Eternity Should Fail" seems a bit of a pessimistic title for the Doctor Strange story in the November 1965 issue of <i>Strange Tales</i>. You'd think that after everything he's been through, Steve Ditko and Stan Lee could give him a bit more hope. Yet Doctor Strange finds himself in one of the strangest realms so far ...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qmoEYpkBKc4/X3CauhtnZ5I/AAAAAAAAF_g/-d5PtRuL2ukmL80fJdPe03fGhG7Ojp1gACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/ST138_pg02_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="800" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qmoEYpkBKc4/X3CauhtnZ5I/AAAAAAAAF_g/-d5PtRuL2ukmL80fJdPe03fGhG7Ojp1gACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h396/ST138_pg02_edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hard to believe, isn't it, that any human mind could conceive of such weirdness? But Ditko pulls out all the stops and gives us a mystic vista that simply astonishes ...</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>And in that realm, Doctor Strange finally comes face-to-face with "Eternity", a being of unimaginable power, whose very form embodies the Universe. And Ditko's portrayal of it doesn't disappoint. If you've made it this far into the story, you are rewarded by Steve Ditko's single page portrayal of Eternity. And such is Eternity's power that Doctor Strange doesn't even need to ask the question ... Eternity gives the answer. "You already possess the means to defeat your foes. Power is not the only answer. Events have occurred which require a key. And wisdom is that key."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxZxNHBGMSQ/X3CicJM5MDI/AAAAAAAAF_s/g5eWo5G0Xq8z8jZx6y325ClMGVQ7WUcbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1800/ST138_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1800" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxZxNHBGMSQ/X3CicJM5MDI/AAAAAAAAF_s/g5eWo5G0Xq8z8jZx6y325ClMGVQ7WUcbgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h188/ST138_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>When Doctor Strange finally comes face to face with Eternity, the effect is pretty spectacular, amply meriting the full-page that Ditko devotes to it. It's a shame, then, that the plot doesn't match up to the visuals.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>It's a bit of a <i>Wizard of Oz</i> moment. Seems that Doctor Strange always had the power to Go Home ... he just wouldn't have believed if we'd told him.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Resigned to the idea that that's all he's going to get out of Eternity, Doctor Strange heads back to Earth, only to discover that Mordo has abducted The Ancient One ... and so confident is Mordo, that he has his wraiths direct Strange to where The Ancient One is held captive. The only saving grace is that Dormammu prevents Mordo murdering the ancient One as "Only by threatening the lif</span><span style="font-family: arial;">e of his aged master can we make" Doctor Strange reveal what he learned from Eternity.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gErvmfyM-bw/X3ClzPstiPI/AAAAAAAAF_4/lxmwVosbRCoMZWjZcfHP0njuK2K2qixQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST139_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1200" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gErvmfyM-bw/X3ClzPstiPI/AAAAAAAAF_4/lxmwVosbRCoMZWjZcfHP0njuK2K2qixQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h286/ST139_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>When I bought this issue of </i>Strange Tales<i>, way back in 1966, I didn't even notice the figure of Doctor Strange squeezed into the left side of the cover. So I never wondered why The Master of the Mystic Arts was watching Nick Fury on television.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>But in an odd misstep of continuity, that's not how it plays out in <i>Strange Tales 139</i> (Dec 1965). In fact, when Dormammu asks Doctor Strange for the secret of Eternity, Doctor Strange cheerfully admits that he learned nothing from the dimension-spanning entity.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">All he has to fight the might of Mordo and Dormammu is a pep-talk from The Ancient One. "The final chapter is not yet written. There are forces at work which even you cannot yet fathom. You must fight on." Good chat, thanks for that.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">However, The Ancient One does add one useful nugget. "Where they employ Power, you must apply Wisdom," he says. "The Wisdom of the just, the righteous, the fearless." Isn't that also what Eternity said?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q440ASQAMEo/X3Co1UHDcnI/AAAAAAAAGAE/lbXvgSRtjwMKw7nvA-QgLSJOT-4PpD2DQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST139_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1200" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q440ASQAMEo/X3Co1UHDcnI/AAAAAAAAGAE/lbXvgSRtjwMKw7nvA-QgLSJOT-4PpD2DQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h285/ST139_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Great mystical battling between Doctor Strange and Mordo. Note the larger panels that Ditko's using here, a long way from his customary nine-panel grid.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>As spectacular as the battle with Mordo is, Strange substitutes strategy for power and is able to out-manoeuvre Mordo at almost every turn. This enrages Dormammu so much that the evil one decides it's time for him to take a personal hand in the war.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2cdio4ajqHo/X3Cqfl1HKmI/AAAAAAAAGAQ/FSg4nusLn2MSOqyie8RjFw-TSB_QTep9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST140_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1200" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2cdio4ajqHo/X3Cqfl1HKmI/AAAAAAAAGAQ/FSg4nusLn2MSOqyie8RjFw-TSB_QTep9ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h285/ST140_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>No ... not The Pincers of Power! Okay, it's a bit of a daft title, but it's the only way Doctor Strange can confront Dormammu directly without being squashed like a bug.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>And, as promised, <i>Strange Tales 140</i> (Jan 1966) features the long-awaited showdown between Doctor Strange and Dormammu. And it doesn't disappoint. With Doctor Strange hopelessly outmatched by Dormammu's power, the evil one hatches a plan to ensure that his defeat of The Master of the Mystic Arts will be a fair one. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAYmJZroPyc/X3Cta1mmY_I/AAAAAAAAGAc/nQZU-FqsdwI7tTb5BdpyN8RhQwf7-8tqACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST140_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="1200" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAYmJZroPyc/X3Cta1mmY_I/AAAAAAAAGAc/nQZU-FqsdwI7tTb5BdpyN8RhQwf7-8tqACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h281/ST140_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>For all Dormammu's talk of a fair fight, it's something of a disappointment when Doctor Strange is struck down from behind by the treacherous Baron Mordo.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The two will battle hand-to-hand, armed only with the Pincers of Power. And battle they do with - incredibly - Doctor Strange just beginning to gain the upper hand, when Mordo treacherously strikes him down from behind and Strange lies helpless at the feet of Dormammu.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8EryCnHdaVo/X3CuyZ_GsyI/AAAAAAAAGAk/YYdjMhrlwRcaFPk2keHW1Mri4Y3xQavYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST141_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1200" height="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8EryCnHdaVo/X3CuyZ_GsyI/AAAAAAAAGAk/YYdjMhrlwRcaFPk2keHW1Mri4Y3xQavYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h288/ST141_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It does seem awfully contrived that an evil baddie like Dormammu would be annoyed because his greatest enemy has been knocked to the ground by Mordo's sneaky bolt in the back. A lesser villain would just shrug and own the win.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Of course, that kind of underhanded cheating doesn't sit well with Dormammu. Evil though he might be, he's not without some sense of honour. So as <i>Strange Tales 141</i> (Feb 1966) opens, Dormammu is not best pleased with his erstwhile ally, Mordo.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So, with only a short pause to banish Mordo to some unnamed netherworld, Dormammu once again takes up his battle with Doctor Strange, via the slightly silly Pincers of Power, probably not his smartest strategic decision.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And because this is Marvel Comics and we readers expect our heroes to win, Doctor Strange prevails and defeats Dormammu with his own choice of weapon. In front of witnesses.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aA8BFB72TBE/X3CyalH3PHI/AAAAAAAAGAw/nmB5tB9zcQMiFwqxzdqOKo5TkkAbXum5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1800/ST141_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1800" height="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aA8BFB72TBE/X3CyalH3PHI/AAAAAAAAGAw/nmB5tB9zcQMiFwqxzdqOKo5TkkAbXum5QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h189/ST141_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>With Dormammu defeated with his own weapon, Doctor Strange extracts an oath that Dormammu will never again threaten the realm of men. Yet, Dormammu had previous vowed never to attack Doctor Strange, and we all saw how that turned out.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>At last, it seems as though Dormammu is done-for and Doctor Strange and The Ancient One can finally relax. But Dormammu has one last treacherous move left in his arsenal. The (still) unnamed girl - who we'd later know as Clea - is banished by Dormammu to some uncharted Hades, so that Strange will never find her. This is the last vengeance of Dormammu.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6GByOgBHZt8/X3C2qwjcqSI/AAAAAAAAGA8/t5h6rnJySZEihHgUALOyoDFS104FTIUsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST142_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6GByOgBHZt8/X3C2qwjcqSI/AAAAAAAAGA8/t5h6rnJySZEihHgUALOyoDFS104FTIUsQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/ST142_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And now it's the aftermath. Dormammu defeated and Mordo banished to an unknown nether-dimension, Doctor Strange still has to mop up the minions of Mordo, a task that proves slightly more difficult than we might imagine.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>But what of Mordo? Does he have some revenge lined up as well? As it goes, we find out in <i>Strange Tales 142</i> (Mar 1966). Unknown to Doctor Strange, Mordo's remaining acolytes have planted a rather mundane bomb in the Sanctum of Doctor Strange, and someone is about to press the detonator. Almost too late, Doctor Strange realises the danger and tries to fling the explosive device far enough away. But the explosion dazes him for a moment and the nearby followers of Mordo and able to capture and imprison Strange with a peculiar blinding mask and cuffs that render his hands useless.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Once again, using his ingenuity, Doctor Strange, still blinded, manages to elude his captors. but without his sight and his weapons, the next battle will be dangerous indeed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't really think this epilogue is necessary to the overall saga, and while it does tie up a few loose ends, it feels a little like Steve Ditko is treading water here.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tgAoKBUgLk/X3C78tw8W5I/AAAAAAAAGBI/pWNJKi7Fyb4uDbNybUIBt5UF4NV9rC6LACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST143_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1200" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tgAoKBUgLk/X3C78tw8W5I/AAAAAAAAGBI/pWNJKi7Fyb4uDbNybUIBt5UF4NV9rC6LACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h284/ST143_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I love the trap Ditko places Doctor Strange in. And the look of the bizarre mask on Strange is eerie and effective.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: left;">The epilogue continues in </span><i style="text-align: left;">Strange Tales 143</i><span style="text-align: left;"> (Apr 1966), in which Doctor Strange's physical form is re-captured by Mordo's disciples and Strange is forced to fight them in his weaker Astral form.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial;">That Doctor Strange would prevail is never in doubt and I'm inclined to think that this tying up of loose ends could have been dispatched in a single episode.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">More importantly, this seems to be the point where Stan distances himself from Steve Ditko. Never a huge fan of dialoging Doctor Strange, Stan hands off the scripting duties to his new deputy Roy Thomas, so that he is only now working with Steve on <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Roy Thomas had just started working at Marvel, initially dialoguing <i>Millie the Model</i> and the western comics with the January 1966 issues. He took over <i>Sgt Fury</i> and Doctor Strange in the April 1966 issues, and <i>X-Men</i> with issue 20 (May 1966).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5KF_OOErPyo/X3IUDSFoXHI/AAAAAAAAGBc/B8jRDNS71-8YZNDRn7aDsElN-OAr4OaRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST144_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1200" height="295" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5KF_OOErPyo/X3IUDSFoXHI/AAAAAAAAGBc/B8jRDNS71-8YZNDRn7aDsElN-OAr4OaRACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h295/ST144_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Another oddly composed cover. The floating head of Doctor Strange makes it seem as if Strange is battle The Druid and his magical Porche. And Ditko's splash page here is just a "Story so far" recap.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Roy Thomas would continue dialoguing Doctor Strange in <i>Strange Tales 144</i> (May 1966). Unfortunately, Ditko didn't give him very much to work with. The storyline is almost identical to tales in issues 133 and 136. Doctor Strange journeys to a mystical dimension and finds a despotic mystic rule in charge. There's a battle and Doctor Strange defeats them. It's helped a little by the fact that Doctor Strange is there looking for Clea, and it would have read a great deal better if you'd never seen a Doctor Strange story before.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YQNoi4kQ4s/X3L2RSLCUmI/AAAAAAAAGBo/fRSNOys9Eqgu0YzqU7fnPzp5FT7zS_r-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST145_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1200" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YQNoi4kQ4s/X3L2RSLCUmI/AAAAAAAAGBo/fRSNOys9Eqgu0YzqU7fnPzp5FT7zS_r-ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h286/ST145_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ra-Ra-Rasputin, lover of the Russian Queen. Steve Ditko marks some further time here while he psychs himself up for the landmark conclusion to the grandiose Dormammu-Doctor Strange war that had been running for a year and a half.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>With <i>Strange Tales 145</i> (Jun 1966), Roy Thomas was re-assigned by Stan and new Marvel recruit Denny O'Neill came in to write the dialogue for Doctor Strange. The story has a lesser magician, Mr Rasputin (a descendent of the legendary "adviser" to the Russian Czarina) using his meagre mystical talents to steal state secrets and build a power base to, well, rule the world. It seems such an unrealistic expectation that Stan (or perhaps Denny) even comments on it in his splash page intro. When tracked down by Doctor Strange, it's evident that his power is no match for the Master of the Mystic Arts, so he pulls out a gun and shoots Strange. It only remains for our hero to figure out how to defeat the baddie from his hospital bed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I quite like the story. It feels a bit different from what's gone before, though maybe it was a bit of a waste to try to tie it to the Rasputin of history, who used very different methods to attain his goals. There probably is a good story to be told, pitting Doctor Strange against Rasputin or one of his heirs, but I don't think this was it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rO7YD_GMGdQ/X3Q3T_WxkLI/AAAAAAAAGB0/0Gaz5tzGYB4o43bgkP9X9wd-fbbvHT6FwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST146_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rO7YD_GMGdQ/X3Q3T_WxkLI/AAAAAAAAGB0/0Gaz5tzGYB4o43bgkP9X9wd-fbbvHT6FwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/ST146_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The final chapter of Steve Ditko's epic 17-part, when it finally appeared, was slightly underwhelming. It's apparent that this really should have been at least a two-parter, but Steve Ditko just couldn't wait to get out of Dodge.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The Doctor Strange story in <i>Strange Tales 146</i> (July 1966), however was a big shock on so many levels. Denny O'Neil was still providing dialogue over a Steve Ditko plot, but where in the past Ditko had been taking his time, adding little flourishes and sidebar exposition scenes, and generally creating an epic feel to the whole 17-part tale of the war against Dormammu, here the whole saga gets tied up in a very hasty-feeling ten pages. And two of those pages are full page splashes ... terrific, but still indicating a Ditko who is trying to be done with the whole Doctor Strange project and, by extension, Marvel.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k9mxZCya8fE/X3Q6Mh-vw_I/AAAAAAAAGCA/-mp_wiIm-_A6kUjwpsmJBxMddhrvPajwACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST146_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1200" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k9mxZCya8fE/X3Q6Mh-vw_I/AAAAAAAAGCA/-mp_wiIm-_A6kUjwpsmJBxMddhrvPajwACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h284/ST146_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is one way to fill some space and expand and eight-page intsalment to ten pages. These are magnificent splash pages, but did we really need two?</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I also have the feeling that Ditko's decision to quit was sudden. Like it happened while Ditko was drawing this story. He'd had ample opportunity to create a grander finale for the saga. For example, he could have jettisoned the filler episodes like the Taza and the "Son of Rasputin" tales. Those didn't add anything to the epic. But I think it indicates that at the time he created those stories, Ditko wasn't expecting to be leaving.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But, by the time he came to work on "The End at Last" I believe the decision was made. Not only did Ditko choose to wrap up the Dormammu war in one episode, he telescoped it down to eight pages or so by adding two splashes and lots of big panels, a direct contrast to his past work on the strip where he'd routinely used nine-panel pages to cram in as much story as possible.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lk3LjYGTyGg/X3Q8BI0j2VI/AAAAAAAAGCM/DSkRnotT7vgd9ItGM07WJ9e7o1mesSs_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST146_montage03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1200" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lk3LjYGTyGg/X3Q8BI0j2VI/AAAAAAAAGCM/DSkRnotT7vgd9ItGM07WJ9e7o1mesSs_wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h284/ST146_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sadly, Steve Ditko is just phoning in the inking here. What a shame that he felt so hard done-by by Marty Goodman and Stan Lee that he allowed his farewell to Doctor Strange be less than his best work.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The last couple of pages of the story really show us how disengaged Ditko was, the inking is barely there. Ditko has added outlines to the faces and figures on the page, but almost no hatching. He clearly wanted out, and as quickly as possible.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There's plenty more to be said about the reasons why Steve Ditko felt aggrieved with Marvel and in particular Stan. But, as with the case of Jack Kirby, I really don't think Stan can bear all - or even most - of the blame for Steve Ditko's feeling he'd been treated unfairly. Surely, the lion's share of that must lie at the feet of Marvel publisher Martin Goodman. For it was Goodman who promised a share of the merchandising and reprint money to both Ditko and Kirby and then reneged. Yes, Ditko probably created Doctor Strange pretty much by himself, and Stan's input - beyond a few catchy catchphrases - was minimal. And I don't think even my own argument about Stan bringing much needed <i>characterisation</i> to Marvel heroes holds much water in this case. The dialogue in Doctor Strange singularly <i>lacks</i> character. Because I think Ditko was writing the dialogue as well as plotting and I think Stan was just doing a little editorial polish ... fixing grammar and smoothing out the bumps.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Think about if for a moment ... we know who Spider-Man is. We recognise his personality and we can hear that his dialogue sets him apart from Iron Man or Captain America. It's the same with The Hulk, Mr Fantastic and Nick Fury. Each has a distinct personality and we can easily tell one from the other.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Doctor Strange, on the other hand, talks more like a DC character. We know that he was a surgeon, and we know that surgeons are often portrayed as the epitome of arrogance. And we know that people don't really fundamentally change in personality, no matter how life-changing the events in their lives. So, for even a fictional character to undergo a "Christmas Carol"-style transformation is just not believable. How much more credible would it have been for Doctor Strange to show us glimpses of his old arrogance?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And Stan's Marvel characters are, for the most part, similarly consistent. Peter Parker changes temporarily to a selfish twat when he first gets his super-powers, but is snapped back to his old, decent self when Uncle Ben is killed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So while there a <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-sincerest-form-of-flattery.html">great argument to be had about who created Spider-Man</a>, there isn't really much wriggle-room when it comes to Doctor Strange.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet for all this, Ditko's run of Doctor Strange stories remains one of my all-time favourites. It goes beyond "original" and traverses into the realm of "odd", a bit like H. P. Lovecraft's body of work.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Do I wish Steve Ditko had continued with Doctor Strange? Sure, but not at the cost of his own artistic satisfaction. Could Stan have handled it better? Probably, but there's nothing he could do about the heartless and cavalier way Goodman treated the creative talents that made his millions for him. In that Stan's hands were tied.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It was never going to end well ...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Important note</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been seven years, now. More or less monthly I've been posting exhaustively-researched blog entries, often ratcheting up 3000 words plus per instalment (this one's over 6,700!). And I'm <i>tired</i>. So that's going to be it for a while. I'm going to take a break, maybe posting occasionally, but simpler entries with more pictures than words. I need to recharge my batteries and put some work into other, much-neglected projects.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't know when I'll be back in full-on Marvel historian mode ... so be sure to check in now and again, and if you need to contact me, leave a comment ... that'll get my attention.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xerKkQsC_yI/X3SFM6Z6HnI/AAAAAAAAGCY/m_h1L5qHtP4BRGBHUXTVpWKxQ9AHrFhRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s921/ASM_Ann002_pg20_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="921" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xerKkQsC_yI/X3SFM6Z6HnI/AAAAAAAAGCY/m_h1L5qHtP4BRGBHUXTVpWKxQ9AHrFhRQCLcBGAsYHQ/w539-h268/ASM_Ann002_pg20_edit.jpg" width="539" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Next: Wait and see ...</b><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p></div>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-87979505519698648892020-08-31T12:11:00.011-07:002020-09-19T04:19:49.107-07:00Marvel, Magic and Strange Tales: Part 2<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I DON'T THINK STAN LEE LIKED DOCTOR STRANGE,</b> at least not at first. In a letter to Jerry Bails dated 9th January 1963, Stan mentioned a new strip for <i>Strange Tales</i>, Dr Strange, with hardly a hint of his usual enthusiasm.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">"We have a new character in the works for <i>Strange Tales</i>. Steve Ditko is gonna draw him. Sort of a black magic theme. <b>The first story is nothing great, but perhaps we can make something of him</b> — 'twas Steve's idea, and I figgered we'd give it a chance, although again, we had to rush the first one too much. Little sidelight: Originally decided to call him MR. STRANGE, but thought the MR. a bit too similar to MR. FANTASTIC — now, however, I just remember we had a villain called DR. STRANGE just recently in one of our mags — hope it won't be too confusing! Oh well ..."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_V-djq_zgKM/XzqoXYrTMiI/AAAAAAAAFvc/HMO2Ib-FpfoDFzUP50G7vkfdMLCxsLWhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST110_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="1200" height="359" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_V-djq_zgKM/XzqoXYrTMiI/AAAAAAAAFvc/HMO2Ib-FpfoDFzUP50G7vkfdMLCxsLWhwCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h359/ST110_montage.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p><span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr Strange showed up - unheralded - in the 110th issue of </span></i><span style="font-family: arial;">Strange Tales<i>, in what seemed to be a substitute for one of Steve Ditko's regular whimsical five-page fantasy stories.</i></span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Stan's not too clear about what it was he didn't like about the first instalment. Some have speculated that Steve Ditko brought Stan the first story all drawn up, and possibly even scripted. What Ditko probably didn't know was that Stan was just beginning an experiment where he would try to rebuild the working process he had in the earlier Atlas days of the company. Back then, Stan had been primarily an editor overseeing a bullpen of staff writers and artists, and writing a few stories himself.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So as the early Marvel started to take off towards the end of 1962, Stan didn't really appear to want to be a writer of superhero tales. Yes, he was writing <i>Fantastic Four</i>, <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> and <i>The Hulk</i>. But the other superhero strips - Thor, Ant-Man and the solo Human Torch stories - he just plotted, and handed over to brother Larry Leiber to script. Larry was also scripting many (if not most) of the fantasy stories in <i>Journey into Mystery</i>, <i>Strange Tales</i>, <i>Tales to Astonish</i> and <i>Tales of Suspense</i>. What is interesting is that Stan kept the "reliable money makers" for himself. Of the Marvel Comics cover-dated August and September 1962, Stan scripted:</span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Life with Millie 18</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Patsy and Hedy 83</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Patsy Walker 102</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Rawhide Kid 29</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Kathy 18</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Gunsmoke Western 72</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Kid Colt - Outlaw 106</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Love Romances 101</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Millie the Model 110</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Linda Carter, Student Nurse 7</i></span></li></ul>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">... and the Steve Ditko five-pagers running in the back of most of the fantasy anthologies.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's as though Stan thought the super-hero stuff was just a fad, and would be done with a few months down the line. And perhaps <i>that's</i> why he sounded less than enthusiastic about Dr Strange in his letter to Jerry Bails.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">As 1963 rolled round, Stan looked towards adding some new superhero stories here and there. Spider-Man got his own title, cover-dated March, which Stan would write. <i>Sgt Fury</i> also joined the line-up, and as a non-super-hero title, Stan would keep the scripting of that for himself, too. Iron Man in <i>Tales of Suspense</i>, he would parcel out to Larry.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-49S01HYMun0/Xz1ZgCIs0NI/AAAAAAAAFvo/WN6-8mVfUZ08RLtuTO6KZAznqotX6j_ZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1731/May63Marvels_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1731" height="178" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-49S01HYMun0/Xz1ZgCIs0NI/AAAAAAAAFvo/WN6-8mVfUZ08RLtuTO6KZAznqotX6j_ZACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h178/May63Marvels_montage.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span>Of the May 1963 b-team Marvels, only the Ant-Man story was scripted by Larry Leiber. The rest - including the Iron Man story featuring villain Dr Strange - were scripted by Robert Bernstein. Ernie Hart would take over Ant-Man the following month.</span></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then, in a surprising about-face, Stan took the scripting work away from Larry and hired DC, Archie and ACG hack Robert Bernstein, former Atlas editor Ernie Hart and even Superman writer Jerry Siegel to take over Thor, The Human Torch, Ant-Man and Iron Man. Even more surprisingly, Stan's decision stood for just six months before he let his new freelance scripters go and took over writing everything himself. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">"Larry, you know something," Leiber recalls Stan telling him. "You're no good, but you're better than these other guys." And with the November 1963 cover-dated Marvels, Stan was scripting the entire line himself.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I think this is because Stan realised two things. One was, that no one was going to write Marvel comics the way he wanted them done. The writers he'd been trying came from old-school, plot-driven comic writing, and Stan was pushing for character-driven stories. And the other realisation was that the Marvel Comics written by Stan himself were selling better than those he'd packaged out to other writers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">So even with new titles <i>The Avengers</i>, <i>X-Men</i> and <i>Daredevil</i> looming on the schedule, Stan knew he had to sharpen his typewriter and get down to work. And Doctor Strange was just one more straw for the camel's back.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tAInIxwMHT0/Xz4Y7vBK2dI/AAAAAAAAFv0/4IpndRXZdeEidNNwOGVCv2cj-zmFmKE_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST111_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1200" height="370" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tAInIxwMHT0/Xz4Y7vBK2dI/AAAAAAAAFv0/4IpndRXZdeEidNNwOGVCv2cj-zmFmKE_wCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h370/ST111_montage.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><i>As with </i>Strange Tales 110<i>, there is no mention of a great new magic adventure with Dr Strange on the cover of </i>Strange Tales 111<i> (Aug 1963). This is not typical of Stan's approach to hyping new features at this point in Marvel history.</i></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The first three Dr Strange stories were each five-pagers. As this was the same length as the short fantasy tales Steve Ditko had been turning in for Stan on the anthology titles, I did wonder if all three weren't drawn up on spec for Stan's consideration.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">If that's the case, then it's likely that Stan had to write (or re-write) the dialogue from Steve's finished artwork, and maybe that's what Stan found tricky ... that and the fact that he hadn't gotten a handle on the character yet. And that might explain why Stan wrote in the letters page of <i>Fantastic Four 19</i> (Oct 1963) ... "A number of you have asked for more of Dr Strange, in <i>Strange Tales</i>. So we have another of his off-beat tales in <i>Strange Tales 114</i> ... we almost hope you DON'T like him, because BOY - are those stories hard to write."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then in the letters column for <i>Amazing Spider-Man 6</i> (Nov 1963), Stan was damning with faint praise again. "We almost hoped not too many readers would notice Dr Strange so that we could turn out stories without too much effort. But the reaction has been far more favorable than we expected, so it looks like the old master of black magic will be a regular feature, which means another headache for us. If you haven't seen him yet, treat yourself to a copy of the latest <i>Strange Tales</i> - but only after you've bought a copy of <i>Spider-Man</i>, of course."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The again on the <i>Fantastic Four 21</i> (Dec 1963) letters page: "So far, our readers' opinions on Dr Strange are almost unanimously in favor of the bewhiskered bewitcher! So it looks like we're going to be stuck with him for a while."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">So, is this just typical, self-deprecating humour from Stan, or is there a hint of underlying irritation with the character? Does Stan resent that Steve Ditko came up with the idea? That doesn't seem likely. If Stan hadn't liked it, he would have straight-out rejected it, because we know Stan never shied away from rejecting work he didn't think was up to scratch.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And what of the stories themselves? The first adventure, which pits Dr Strange against the machinations of the dark entity Nightmare, is a slight affair, casting Strange in the role of occult detective.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wB_Mf3KcAZA/Xz498NONcYI/AAAAAAAAFwA/Wxt_w7u2X2wmjFo6RD3I7b_cuIld_sSJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST110_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1200" height="242" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wB_Mf3KcAZA/Xz498NONcYI/AAAAAAAAFwA/Wxt_w7u2X2wmjFo6RD3I7b_cuIld_sSJgCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h242/ST110_montage02.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span>In the first episode, many of the foundational elements of Dr Strange are introduced. Wong the faithful retainer is glimpsed. Dr Strange travels in his astral form. And we meet the (as yet) unnamed Ancient One.</span></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet many of the trappings that would become familiar to readers were already in place. The Ancient One appears as Dr Strange's mentor and adviser, and the "amulet" is cited as Dr Strange's final defence against danger. While there's not a great deal of space in five pages for exposition and adventure, Ditko crams in a lot using nine panels to the page. And Stan must have been fairly okay with the concept as the final panel promises ...</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z80CtbEprSY/Xz5APtwy37I/AAAAAAAAFwQ/JthoY4N2ka0hWDgevbGigedxiaSsFZr-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s469/ST110_pg05_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z80CtbEprSY/Xz5APtwy37I/AAAAAAAAFwQ/JthoY4N2ka0hWDgevbGigedxiaSsFZr-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/ST110_pg05_edit.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span>This closing blurb doesn't support my</span></i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i> theory that Steve Ditko <br />turned in three Dr Strange five-pagers in one go or Stan would <br />have known who the next villain was going to be.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">But we had yet to see any of the mystical schtick that would differentiate Dr Strange from every other comicbook magician. And the fact that Stan doesn't mention Baron Mordo in the next issue blurb indicates that he didn't have the artwork of the second Dr Strange story in hand after all. Yet, I still wonder why the first three stories are five pagers then the page count goes up to eight with the origin story in <i>Strange Tales 115</i> (Dec 1963).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vd9V9IJX9Es/X0DuMAIsbDI/AAAAAAAAFwg/GvHrD4oPnk0kwzMce9H4z5PyPkEsDuUrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST111_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1200" height="242" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vd9V9IJX9Es/X0DuMAIsbDI/AAAAAAAAFwg/GvHrD4oPnk0kwzMce9H4z5PyPkEsDuUrQCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h242/ST111_montage02.jpg" width="512" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><i>Above, the plot of </i>Strange Tales 111<i>'s Dr Strange story in a nutshell. The strangest part of the tale is the ghostly fisticuffs. Surely you can't punch a spirit in the face, even with a phantom fist ...</i></span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The second Dr Strange tale, which appeared in <i>Strange Tales 111</i> (Aug 1963), sported the unlikely title of "Face-to-Face with the Magic of Baron Mordo". The editor in me wants to strike out "the Magic of", since magic doesn't actually have a face, but we editors are picky like that. This story introduces us to the arch-villain who would go on to be a thorn in Dr Strange's side for most of the Ditko run. If you're paying attention, you can quickly figure out that Mordo is a disciple of the Ancient One gone bad. Okay, AO is still referred to as "The Master" in Stan's script, but we know who he is. The plot is still a little thin - Mordo forces a servant to add a powerful potion to The Master's food - though Ditko's art shows the potion going into The Master's <i>drink</i> - which prevents him from helping Dr Strange. Mordo then has a spiritual fistfight with Dr Strange - no hurling of hex-bolts yet - and then falls for the oldest trick in the book, a kind of mystical "what's that behind you?"</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vTXF7RUIifM/X0D0HPPyt0I/AAAAAAAAFws/dsroJ5M2jM4U8VkvYFIRgapVAR55VEIvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST114_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1200" height="368" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vTXF7RUIifM/X0D0HPPyt0I/AAAAAAAAFws/dsroJ5M2jM4U8VkvYFIRgapVAR55VEIvgCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h368/ST114_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><i>The Dr Strange feature was still brief - at five pages - still tucked away at the back of </i>Strange Tales <i>and still unheralded on the cover. At this point, Stan really wasn't looking to promote the strip in any determined way.</i></span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The character then takes a two issue break, then returns in <i>Strange Tales 114</i> (Nov 1963). Because Stan has increased the Human Torch story to 18 pages - probably to give the Captain America tryout room to breathe - we lose the five page fantasy tale, and have to make do with another Dr Strange five-pager, again featuring Mordo as the bad guy. We learn that The Master's true title is "The Ancient One" in this story and the reason for the slightly different look to this episode is because it's inked - uncredited - by George Roussos.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_-Gu6KVxA-w/X0EH0rGlsFI/AAAAAAAAFw4/SMr2HCsUAXsowhSkaCaIRcsOMFb29-yDACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/ST114_pg05_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="800" height="372" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_-Gu6KVxA-w/X0EH0rGlsFI/AAAAAAAAFw4/SMr2HCsUAXsowhSkaCaIRcsOMFb29-yDACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h372/ST114_pg05_edit.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><i>In </i>Strange Tales 114<i>, we get a bit more fireworks in the battle between Dr Strange and Baron Mordo ... but they're still not firing their mystical power-bolts from oddly distended fingers.This was still a few issues away.</i></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There's still an element of astral plane punching in the battle between Mordo and Dr Strange, but we get a hint that there's more to the mystical abilities wielded in this series that we've seen so far. In this story we see Strange project his mental abilities to communicate with both the Ancient One and with early co-star and possible love interest Victoria Bentley. Dr Strange is also surprised that he failed to detect Mordo's imposture as Sir Clive. And the final twist is that for most of the story, we were seeing an astral projection of Dr Strange, rather than the real thing. Though if that was the case, then I'm puzzled as to how he could have been affected by the vapours from Mordo's poisonous candles at the start of the story. But both Stan and Steve were still finding their feet with the feature, so some glitches are forgiveable.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQp3HCD-sV8/X0s-BUH0ioI/AAAAAAAAFxE/JAsOXINiMnk36FGjauyEzgDm_vEtN0sLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST115_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1200" height="366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQp3HCD-sV8/X0s-BUH0ioI/AAAAAAAAFxE/JAsOXINiMnk36FGjauyEzgDm_vEtN0sLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h366/ST115_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I've always wondered why Stan and Steve didn't give us the origin of Dr Strange until the character's fourth appearance. On the surface, it appears as though Stan didn't have much faith in the new mystical hero. But maybe there was another reason ...</i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Strange Tales 115</i> (Dec 1963) heralds a discernible change in Stan's attitude to the Dr Strange character. Well, a <i>bit</i> of a change ... Let's start with the cover. That's right, still no mention of Dr Strange, even though in this issue - responding to "an avalanche of requests" - the origin of Dr Strange is finally revealed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, Stan was pretty big on origins. Looking back we can see that, with every single Marvel character to date, the first appearance was also the origin ... so it does seem peculiar that we didn't get the back-story of Dr Strange until readers demanded it. So here's a thought. Perhaps Stan - or more likely, Steve - never intended to give Dr Strange an origin story. Perhaps, like pulp character The Shadow, Dr Strange was supposed to be a mysterious mage that was more of a cypher than an actual human being. You know ... "is he real or is he a spirit?"</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The reason that I think that idea would more likely have come from Steve is that it fits with other views Steve had on storytelling. He famously wanted The Green Goblin to be a nobody, "someone the readers hadn't seen before", but was over-ruled by Stan. So, if Dr Strange was somehow intended to be "unreal", then it would have made sense not to give him an origin.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then, we should also look at what was happening in the other Marvel superhero series at the same time. As mentioned earlier, I believe that in the formative year of Marvel's development, 1963, Stan wasn't convinced that superheroes were a long-term prospect. Sure, <i>Fantastic Four</i> was selling well ... and during the second half of the year, the early indications would have been that the <i>Spider-Man</i> title was gaining sales, as well. But <i>The Hulk</i> had stuttered and had been cancelled by Marty Goodman, so I don't think Stan was yet convinced that he could Do No Wrong.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Earlier in the year, he'd assigned other writers to script from his plots, and hadn't been satisfied with the results, so right at the point where readers finally get Dr Strange's origin, Stan was also <a href="http://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2017/01/strange-tales-human-torch-solo-stories.html#scripters">getting rid of the freelance scripters</a> and taking on the dialoging of the strips himself. And then there's the intro box on the first page of the origin story ...</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_qjKRH4g-mc/X0tEB9lyWOI/AAAAAAAAFxQ/HT0k18w2MMw7W2bhUmhyUQ7CbII_rl2tACLcBGAsYHQ/s546/ST115_pg01_detail.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="450" height="437" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_qjKRH4g-mc/X0tEB9lyWOI/AAAAAAAAFxQ/HT0k18w2MMw7W2bhUmhyUQ7CbII_rl2tACLcBGAsYHQ/w360-h437/ST115_pg01_detail.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Stan says here that he and Steve "forgot" to give us the origin of Dr Strange. But I'm thinking that's unlikely ... it's not the sort of thing you "forget". Also, Stan characterises the origin as a "extra-long 8 pager". But as we'll see, the page count would actually go up from here, rather than back to five pages.</i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<span style="font-family: arial;">Never one to miss an opportunity, Stan plugs companion comic Spider-Man in the Dr Strange intro, but more tellingly he owns up that it's reader pressure that spurred this origin tale, probably using that point to insist on an origin story, possibly over Steve's objections. Just guessing here, but it does seem to fit with how both creators operated. Also, Dr Strange is still "Master of Black Magic" at this point. This would change later - correctly, I think. Black magic is by definition the evil side of magic. The good side is "white magic", but that would sound a little odd in the context. Later, with <i>Strange Tales 120</i> (May 1964), Dr Strange would become "Master of the Mystic Arts" ... but I'm getting ahead of myself.</span>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e4xBAEe5KkA/X0uEONkIx_I/AAAAAAAAFxc/wkQ9s8wgZrkJxlRHeIPCnh0VZEDP3KvuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST115_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1200" height="364" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e4xBAEe5KkA/X0uEONkIx_I/AAAAAAAAFxc/wkQ9s8wgZrkJxlRHeIPCnh0VZEDP3KvuwCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h364/ST115_montage02.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The origin of Dr Strange is familiar on many levels - selfish man undergoes a life-changing event, is first bitter and sorry for himself, then learns that through helping others he can find new purpose in life. It's simple but satisfying.</i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The actual story of how Dr Strange became a magician is pretty familiar by now. Even the recent <i>Doctor Strange</i> (2017) movie pretty much adhered to the classic origin. Successful but arrogant surgeon Stephen Strange is injured in a car accident and is unable to operate again. He becomes a self-pitying bum, then chances to hear about a mysterious healer in the East, The Ancient One, who may be able to help him. Strange eventually tracks down the healer in India and, though at first sceptical of the authenticity of The Ancient One's powers, is finally convinced when rogue student Mordo casts a spell that prevents Strange's speaking of Modo's evil intentions. To outwit Mordo, Strange pleads to be accepted as The Ancient One's pupil ... and the rest is comic book legend.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">This story seems quite a bit more fully-formed than the preceding three tales. Ditko's realisation of the magic "special effects" is closer to the familiar surrealism that would characterise the later stories and here and there. This would really kick off in the next story, which featured the return of Nightmare.</span></p>
<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQocKv_i3tk/X0ub2QUtmyI/AAAAAAAAFxo/Ii_KCXlmtXALMvmR4H5k7hMDSYLm_pJdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1800/ST116_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1800" height="242" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQocKv_i3tk/X0ub2QUtmyI/AAAAAAAAFxo/Ii_KCXlmtXALMvmR4H5k7hMDSYLm_pJdQCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h242/ST116_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>He's still a Master of </i>Black <i>Magic, and he's still not mentioned on the cover, but Stan is bringing in more and more of the familiar features and catchphrases of the <b>Doctor</b> Strange we all know and love. On page 4 (above right) we get mentions of Dormammu, Agamotto and Hoggoth, and the return of Nightmare, as well as the typical Dali-esque mystical realm we would see more and more.</i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Strange Tales 116</i> (Feb 19164) gave us another eight-page adventure, featuring the sinister villain from <i>Strange Tales 110</i>. And as with the earlier appearance of Nightmare, Doctor (not "Dr" any more) Strange is once again cast in the role of occult detective. I'm really glad Stan didn't stick with this concept, though it would take him another few issues to realise that the whole "mystical sleuth" thing had already been a bit done to death. DC's <i>Dr 13</i> stories that ran in <i>Star-Spangled Comics</i> during the 1950s spring to mind as one rather tiresome example.</span></p>
<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dt2gXmL1Kb8/X0ugpqZyUMI/AAAAAAAAFx0/s0BqYwPokTQeRdIerUEaB0Ap0id3OfHjACLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/ST116_pg2-3_montage_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="1000" height="166" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dt2gXmL1Kb8/X0ugpqZyUMI/AAAAAAAAFx0/s0BqYwPokTQeRdIerUEaB0Ap0id3OfHjACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h166/ST116_pg2-3_montage_edit.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Not really what we would expect from Dr Strange. Here, Stephen Strange is acknowledged by the police and the medical profession as a world-famous authority on, well, strange phenomena. Later in the run, Dr Strange would avoid publicity like the plague and would even remove bystanders' memories of him on occasion.</i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">In this story, Doctor Strange is called in by the authorities who are at a loss to understand why some prominent citizens have fallen asleep with their eyes open, and cannot be wakened. Again, the characterisation of the Doctor is far from fully-formed. In the above panels the police officer refers to Strange's "amazing record with other off-beat cases", and Dr Warren mentions the "deep respect" that "even our leading scientists" have for Doctor Strange's reputation. That strikes me as odd, because, if he has such a great reputation, then "leading scientists" would know that Stephen Strange is also a medical doctor, a man of science, just like them. So I'm thinking that Stan is still struggling to get a handle on the character.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Unlike his visit to Nightmare's realm in <i>Strange Tales 110</i>, this time Doctor Strange has to make more of an effort, consulting ancient texts then conjuring the Mist of Hoggoth to enter Nightmare's domain. Once there he battles illusion and the dreaded Spinybeast before guiding the spirits of the comatose patients back to the real world. The extra three pages helps the strip feel like less of a filler, but there's still some work to do. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbEnLurLsaQ/X0uo8WWgO6I/AAAAAAAAFyA/fcaDXdkI7iwwThQn4ALu7qkjLtjrj6KLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST117_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1200" height="364" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbEnLurLsaQ/X0uo8WWgO6I/AAAAAAAAFyA/fcaDXdkI7iwwThQn4ALu7qkjLtjrj6KLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h364/ST117_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, Doctor Strange merits a mention on the cover, probably because he's now "one of Marvel Comic Group's favourite features". It's still be a while before he appears in the top left corner box on the cover - ironically, a feature that Steve Ditko himself designed.</span></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Doctor Strange story in <i>Strange Tales 117</i> (Feb 1964) feels a good deal more substantial. It brings back Baron Mordo, who has another plan to destroy The Ancient One and establish himself as the world's most powerful sorcerer. Luckily, Doctor Strange is on hand to thwart his ambitions. Though the title is "The Many Traps of Baron Mordo" there's really only one trap ... and Doctor Strange escapes it in an ingenious way. Strange then reverses the trap on Mordo and outwits the villain with an equally ingenious trap of his own.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUQuKk5NQo8/X0usqnDNnJI/AAAAAAAAFyM/MCBj7Juj8EwjqnL6q1iFEMMqPQh9CoEwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST117_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1200" height="362" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUQuKk5NQo8/X0usqnDNnJI/AAAAAAAAFyM/MCBj7Juj8EwjqnL6q1iFEMMqPQh9CoEwQCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h362/ST117_montage02.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Even with eight pages to work with instead of the five he originally had, Steve Ditko is still packing in nine or more panels a page to deliver as much story as possible to the readers. And even at this pace, it doesn't feel cramped or crowded.</span></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">There are, however a couple of glitches that are at odds with later <i>Strange Tales</i>. The first is that in later stories, it's established that Doctor Strange is less powerful in his astral form than he is as his physical self. Here, it's the opposite. And where Doctor Strange's amulet is not strong enough to defeat Mordo's magic, a ring given to him by The Ancient One is ... but for all that, it's closer to the archetypal Doctor Strange story that what had come before.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dR5eB6PAxFQ/X0ycDkGTTWI/AAAAAAAAFyY/ZXcJL1nGQCUZToQfKoD6Ict827QGvTGRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST118_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="1200" height="368" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dR5eB6PAxFQ/X0ycDkGTTWI/AAAAAAAAFyY/ZXcJL1nGQCUZToQfKoD6Ict827QGvTGRACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h368/ST118_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>At last ... Doctor Strange makes an appearance on the cover of </i>Strange Tales<i>. Still not featured in the corner box, though. And just when you think Stan's billing him as "Doctor Strange", oh here we are back at "Dr Strange" again.</i></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">How odd then, that the next adventure, in <i>Strange Tales 118</i> (Mar 1964), would be completely at odds with the supernatural nature of the strip. Because, for all the magical trappings of the previous stories, this one, "The Possessed", is essentially a science fiction tale ... and has the plotting fingerprints of Stan all over it.</span></p><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In a remote Bavarian town, the normally friendly villagers are becoming cold and withdrawn, almost as though they're possessed. When Doctor Strange shows up to investigate, he finds that green aliens from another dimension are controlling the townspeople as part of their quest to take control of Earth. It's uncannily similar to the fantasy tales Stan was filling the anthology titles with just a couple of years prior. Not an especially interesting story concept and not really in keeping with the parameters already established for Marvel's Mystic Mage.</span></div>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2WC7WYO7cMc/X0yfmKuhFgI/AAAAAAAAFyk/2mbuak9wDGQrMDn3uBLFdRml3NX2RkohACLcBGAsYHQ/s468/ST118_pg06_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="325" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2WC7WYO7cMc/X0yfmKuhFgI/AAAAAAAAFyk/2mbuak9wDGQrMDn3uBLFdRml3NX2RkohACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/ST118_pg06_edit.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">C'mon, Doc ... that's just mean. It's not the townsfolks' fault <br />that they've been possessed by green aliens from <br />another dimension and forced to attack you against their will.</span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">But strangest of all, in one scene Strange acts more like Dr Doom than his normal good guy self. I can only imagine Stan was trying to cultivate an aloof, slightly more-than-human persona for Doctor Strange and sort of momentarily overstepped the mark.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BIWbRC-obUI/X0yhIBVFz5I/AAAAAAAAFyw/RxkBIegThfMV69VcEeflQecccl9uDnxjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST119_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1200" height="366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BIWbRC-obUI/X0yhIBVFz5I/AAAAAAAAFyw/RxkBIegThfMV69VcEeflQecccl9uDnxjgCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h366/ST119_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"Beyond the Purple Veil" is a good stab at depicting one of those great surrealistic dimensions that Steve Ditko would pepper the entire Doctor Strange series with. They would get even better as the series went along ...</i></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Things seemed to get back on the mystical track in <i>Strange Tales 119</i> (Apr 1964). Two burglars invade Doctor Strange's sanctum and steal a magical gem. However, the stone is really the gateway to the dreaded Purple Dimension and the criminals are sucked in to the realm of Aggamon and forced to toil as slaves. Doctor Strange follows them, defeats Aggamon in a mystical battle of the minds and frees the two burglars, along with the rest of Aggamon's captives, because he has taken a vow to protect <i>all</i> humanity. The punchline is that the burglars give themselves up to "pay their debt to society". </span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7pzNjMhYX3A/X0ykPYZRfqI/AAAAAAAAFy8/FRwi6BdV66EY3OC5SHFSck5K8ki72lInACLcBGAsYHQ/s455/ST119_pg04_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="310" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7pzNjMhYX3A/X0ykPYZRfqI/AAAAAAAAFy8/FRwi6BdV66EY3OC5SHFSck5K8ki72lInACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/ST119_pg04_edit.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Who, exactly is "Mormammu"? Dormammu's younger brother?<br />An Artie Simek lettering mistake? I guess we'll never know.</span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's a fun, if slight, tale ... and though credited by <a href="https://www.comics.org/issue/18342/?#139431">Grand Comicbook Database</a> as a Steve Ditko co-plot, it just feels like another of Stan's off-the-shelf story ideas that we'd seen many times before in the old fantasy anthologies. And though the next story also had that cookie-cutter feel, it was at least a creepily effective story ...</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ysrQFy3ANI8/X0yqf6E9igI/AAAAAAAAFzI/pWogmhpY_fUuf6Eo914OJZ9rc7o1yJ-iQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST120_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1200" height="362" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ysrQFy3ANI8/X0yqf6E9igI/AAAAAAAAFzI/pWogmhpY_fUuf6Eo914OJZ9rc7o1yJ-iQCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h362/ST120_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Although Doctor Strange barely rates a mention on the cover of </i>Strange Tales 120<i>, the page count on the story inside rises to nine. This does appear to stretch Steve Ditko's time a little thin, as the artwork seems rushed for the most part.</i></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">"The House of Shadows", in <i>Strange Tales 120</i> (May 1964), is <a href="http://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2013/08/still-paddling-in-unfamiliar-waters-of.html">one of the earliest Dr Strange tales I can remember</a> reading at the time. Back at the beginning of this series of blog entries, I'd mentioned that, in my mind, I had believed this Doctor Strange story was one of the first stories, when it was actually the ninth in the series. The plot has a tv crew investigating a haunted house. When the tv signal from inside the house stops, Doctor Strange investigates, only to find that the house is actually a living creature.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">There are a couple of remarkable aspects to this story. The first is that beginning with this instalment, the page-count on Doctor Strange goes up to nine pages. I think it shows a little in Ditko's art which, for the first time on the series, looks rushed here. I had to check carefully to see whether the art for this tale was actually inked by Ditko, as the finished art seems so blocky and rushed.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zwzHsYORjw/X0zHKVYSIjI/AAAAAAAAFzU/s8tsBONjM8wRSBmxH4IKTWagCJp3kWZDACLcBGAsYHQ/s849/OuterLimits_The-Guests_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="849" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zwzHsYORjw/X0zHKVYSIjI/AAAAAAAAFzU/s8tsBONjM8wRSBmxH4IKTWagCJp3kWZDACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h214/OuterLimits_The-Guests_montage.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>In the </i>Outer Limits<i> episode, "The Guests", elderly couple Randall (Vaughn Taylor) and Ethel Latimer (Nellie Burt), along with silent movie actress Florinda Patten (Gloria Grahame), are held captive in a living house, controlled by an amoeba-like alien (above right). Amazingly similar to the premise of the "House of Shadows" Doctor Strange tale.</i></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Secondly, this story was on the newsstands in February 1964. Then, just a month later, the popular science fiction tv show, <i>The Outer Limits</i>, featured a very similar tale, "The Guests", in which a living house holds several people captive for reasons unknown. There's no way either Stan Lee or screen writer Donald Sanford could have swiped the idea from the other, as the stories were released within a month of each other. It can only be the same kind of coincidence that led to the superficially similar <i>Doom Patrol </i>and <i>The X-Men</i> being released within a few weeks of each other.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pe2FuMMtueo/X0zcJAV_9nI/AAAAAAAAFz4/WSZ6THHJMnALnLttYmCAPZmkEy4iZpaegCLcBGAsYHQ/s1303/ff027_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1303" height="289" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pe2FuMMtueo/X0zcJAV_9nI/AAAAAAAAFz4/WSZ6THHJMnALnLttYmCAPZmkEy4iZpaegCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h289/ff027_montage.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Stan would often give guest-star slots to heroes he wanted to promote, usually in the better-selling </i>Fantastic Four<i> or </i>Amazing Spider-Man<i>. In </i>Fantastic Four 27<i>, the role of Doctor Strange is merely incidental, and his presence on the cover in muted by Stan Goldberg's colouring him green in the background.</i></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The same month, in a sure sign that Stan had warmed to the character of Doctor Strange and was now taking him seriously as a key Marvel character, Stan arranged for Strange to make a guest appearance in May's <i>Fantastic Four 27</i>. It's not a substantial appearance, little more than a cameo really, but it does establish that other Marvel heroes not only know of Doctor Strange, but feel they can call on him for help when only his unique abilities will do. In this case, he helps The Torch and the Thing track down The Sub-Mariner - who's kidnapped Sue Storm - but takes no active part in the battle.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LdCa6LImrKE/X0zSIqSo5RI/AAAAAAAAFzg/qcoRRnM78jsMM2izEMIhdKoxwbjmAzK1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST121_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1200" height="366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LdCa6LImrKE/X0zSIqSo5RI/AAAAAAAAFzg/qcoRRnM78jsMM2izEMIhdKoxwbjmAzK1ACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h366/ST121_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i>In keeping with his recent guest-star slot in </i>Fantastic Four 27<i>, Doctor Strange merited a much more prominent cover appear in </i>Strange Tales 121<i>, getting at least a third of the cover space in artwork pencilled by Jack Kirby and inked by Steve Ditko.</i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The following month, Doctor Strange got a return match with his most enduring foe Baron Mordo in another nine-page epic entitled, "Witchcraft in the Wax Museum". The plot had Mordo decoy Strange away from his sanctum with a mundane telephone summons. Mordo then sneaks in and steals the Doctor's body when his astral self responds to the imaginary emergency. All that remains is to keep Doctor Strange from merging his astral self with his physical body for 24 hours and Strange will perish. Sound simple, right? Well, not really quite so easy ... since Doctor Strange is smarter than Baron Mordo, and decoys Mordo into leaving <i>his</i> physical body and falling into exactly the same trap.</span></p>
<p>Steve Ditko's art holds up a lot better this time, as though he's been allowed sufficient time to complete the inking to his usual meticulous standards. Not so much in the following month's story ...</p></span></div>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r7ObVQ3BZMY/X0zWXFt45oI/AAAAAAAAFzs/gLGWWfrjnVkuXoDhSB0as8Ei9e7zGQPsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST122_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1200" height="364" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r7ObVQ3BZMY/X0zWXFt45oI/AAAAAAAAFzs/gLGWWfrjnVkuXoDhSB0as8Ei9e7zGQPsgCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h364/ST122_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">That's a pretty insipid cover, there ... no sense of menace in the Torch section, just Johnny Storm enjoying an acrobatic show, and the pose-y Doctor Strange image is just bogarted from the previous month's interior artwork. This one has all the hallmarks of a rush-job. Meanwhile, inside ... Doctor Strange is now Master of the Mystic Arts, much better than "Master of Black Magic", don't you think? Oh, and there he is in the corner box for the first time.</span></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">"The World Beyond" in <i>Strange Tales 122</i> (Jul 1964) features the return of the rather tiresome Nightmare. I find it quite hard to get enthusiastic about this story because it seems so similar to the other Nightmare tales we've seen already. Strange enters the Dream Realm, battles Nightmare and wins by a cunning ruse. The artwork I was even less enthusiastic about as it's inked, uncredited, by George Roussos. Roussos was often Stan Lee's go-to guy in a deadline pinch, and it looks like that's what happened here. Roussos would also ink the next three issues, presumably to free up some of Steve Ditko's time to draw the first <i>Amazing Spider-Man Annual,</i> which would have been needed around the same time. Thank goodness he did, as Ditko turned an astonishing 72 pages of all-new material for that book, without even one panel looking rushed ... which is why I rate it as <a href="http://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-best-marvel-annual.html">my all-time favourite Marvel annual</a> ...</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A89VuvVgeX8/X0z409_XD7I/AAAAAAAAF0E/ZTbKRHehOjMEVTsEQyX2qmvy7M4BJEVkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST123_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1200" height="359" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A89VuvVgeX8/X0z409_XD7I/AAAAAAAAF0E/ZTbKRHehOjMEVTsEQyX2qmvy7M4BJEVkQCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h359/ST123_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Although Loki isn't the normal kind of villain that Doctor Strange would face, I thought the story worked out pretty well. Again, it feels like a Stan idea, as we know that Steve Ditko wasn't especially keen on cross-overs.</i></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">With <i>Strange Tales 123</i> (Aug 1964), Stan tries to widen the appeal of Doctor Strange a little by pitting him again long-time Thor foe Loki. Often billed as "God of Mischief", Loki is an immortal sorcerer and a seemingly good fit as a Doctor Strange foe. Creating a crossover with Thor can hardly be a bad thing, either. Of course, once Doctor Strange tumbles to the depth of Loki's trickery and attempts to take on the godling in mystical combat, he's hopelessly outmatched. With defeat staring him in the face, Strange is a barely able to lead Thor to the scene ... forcing Loki to flee from the threat of battling both Doctor Strange and Thor.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Though some might consider Ditko's portrayal of Thor - to say the least - quirky ... I really like it and would have welcomed seeing an actual adventure or two of Thor's rendered in Ditko's distinctive style.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dm83oMbbkuE/X0z_Yz0qeAI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/2PMNapExBbEdcPgSHUzBbPeV8LjmwrW1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/JiM108_montage013.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1200" height="369" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dm83oMbbkuE/X0z_Yz0qeAI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/2PMNapExBbEdcPgSHUzBbPeV8LjmwrW1ACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h369/JiM108_montage013.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Further cementing the notion that the Doctor Strange / Loki crossover was a Stan Lee edict, here's Doctor Strange guest-starring in the Thor strip in </i>Journey into Mystery 108<i> (Sep 1964) ...</i></span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">However, the following month there was a kind of follow-up to this story ... in the pages of <i>Journey into Mystery 108</i> (Sep 1964). I say "kind of" because in reading this story, you'd have no idea that Strange had battled Thor's mortal enemy Loki just one month earlier. No mention is made in the Thor tale of the encounter and it seems odd that Stan wouldn't make some attempt to tie the two incidents together. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After an (untold) battle with Baron Mordo, Doctor Strange is seriously injured. With only enough energy to send out a psychic distress call Doctor Strange is rescued by Thor and later, Thor's alter ego Dr Don Blake. In return, Strange offers his services to the Thunder God, should they ever be needed ... and of course, they are. Just like in the recent Fantastic Four guest appearance, Doctor Strange is once again called upon to locate something precious. This time it's Dr Blake's gnarled walking stick, the one that holds the power to transform him into Thor. The stick is recovered and Thor is able to defeat his adopted brother Loki one more time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jB_IRQzQMpo/X00DSx71t5I/AAAAAAAAF0c/Nq9cs1LJJf4KXS41Ozi2wPt6u2Yf6n1lwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/ST124_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1200" height="366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jB_IRQzQMpo/X00DSx71t5I/AAAAAAAAF0c/Nq9cs1LJJf4KXS41Ozi2wPt6u2Yf6n1lwCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h366/ST124_montage01.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>This stand-alone Doctor Strange adventure is the penultimate tale to be inked by George "Inky" Roussos, as Steve Ditko begins to get out from under the huge job of drawing </i>The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1<i> (1964).</i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Meanwhile, back in the pages of <i>Strange Tales 124</i> (Sep 1964), Doctor Strange was once again mining a vein of one-off mystical shenanigans. This time a mysterious girl leads the Doctor to ancient Egypt and battle with a rather odd-looking sorcerer called Zota ("A to Z" backwards). Doctor Strange rather quickly dispatches Zota and returns to his own time, armed with the knowledge of the girl's identity. It's Cleopatra, the Queen of the Nile.</span><br />
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zuo7uJYtRzM/X00NmlRejHI/AAAAAAAAF00/PzyPp_5OJkI5qgabyCMVJNY2VXAQZUd0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s978/ST124_pg4-9_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="978" height="243" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zuo7uJYtRzM/X00NmlRejHI/AAAAAAAAF00/PzyPp_5OJkI5qgabyCMVJNY2VXAQZUd0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h243/ST124_pg4-9_edit.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Does this guy Zota remind you of anyone? How about<br />old Fantastic Four enemy The Puppet Master? Oh, and look ...<br />here's Cleopatra again, not long after her royal flirtiness had met Iron Man.</span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />This was not the first time Cleopatra had met a Marvel super-hero. Back in <i>Tales of Suspense 44</i> (Aug 1963), Iron Man had also travelled back to ancient Egypt and met the legendary beauty. Yet Stan makes no mention of that here.</span><p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-olTsAGGSDyM/X00OWUXpX3I/AAAAAAAAF08/x4_6b00LnFQXaHa9Z0g8XH7aXZA0F35zACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/tos044_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1200" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-olTsAGGSDyM/X00OWUXpX3I/AAAAAAAAF08/x4_6b00LnFQXaHa9Z0g8XH7aXZA0F35zACLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h290/tos044_montage01.jpg" width="410" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, it's true. Iron Man really did travel back to ancient Egypt and meet Cleopatra, last of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt, a line of Greek usurpers who displaced the Macedonian rule of Egypt in 305BC.</span></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />It's almost as though Stan doesn't really count the Marvel tales that he didn't script as canon. If that were the case, then maybe there's a case for saying that Marvel continuity didn't actually start until Stan began scripting all the Marvel books, with the November 1963 issues ... just a thought.</span><p></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial;">This issue of <i>Strange Tales</i> featured what I would consider the last of the "filler" stories on Doctor Strange. Starting with the very next issue, <i>Strange Tales 125</i> (Dec 1964), the series would shift up a gear and we would begin to see the concepts that would solidify Doctor Strange into a truly spectacular feature, with an expanding supporting cast and the introduction of one of the great Marvel villains. But all of that is a story for next time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Next: Of Epic Magic and Magic Epics</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></p>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-8113556348236178452020-07-29T09:12:00.002-07:002024-03-11T09:26:08.484-07:00Marvel, Magic and Strange Tales: Part 1<span face=""><b>SUPERHEROES WERE MY MAIN FOCUS</b> during the Silver Age of the 1960s. Very occasionally I'd pick up a "horror" or science fiction title. The concept of Magic in comics fiction was barely touched upon. The Justice League had battled magicians a couple of times during the 1963 - 1964 period that I was reading their adventures, and the 1940s hero Dr Fate was one of their "Crisis" allies. But no one was really doing magicians as heroes in those formative Silver Age years.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="">Mandrake the Magician<i> launched as a daily newspaper strip on 11 Jun 1934. A little less than four years later, Zatara made his debut in </i>Action Comics 1<i> (Jun 1938). Then, 29 years after Mandrake's first appearance, Marvel published their own, very different magician Doctor Strange in </i>Strange Tales 110<i> (Jul 1963).</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">The earliest template for comics magicians was King Features Syndicate's <i>Mandrake</i>, who starred in a hugely popular and successful newspaper strip beginning in the early 1930s and running right through to 2013. But we can trace the look and style of Mandrake's evening dress and top hat back even further to the famous stage magicians of Vaudeville like Howard Thurston, Harry Blackstone and, of course, Harry Houdini.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Harry Blackstone Sr was perhaps the most famous stage magician of the Vaudeville era, though his gentleman-in-evening-clothes style was probably modelled on Howard Thurston, who was active in the ten years before Blackstone began working. Leon Mandrake was the real-life counterpart of the comic strip </i>Mandrake<i>, who began performing under that name ten years before Lee Falk's strip began.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">The variety theatre of Vaudeville was the staple entertainment for urban Americans from around 1860 to about 1910, when silent cinema began eating into its audiences. But the stars of Vaudeville rapidly became household names and were featured in all kinds of merchandising, including fictionalised adventures. And where there's success, there's imitators.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>This Mandrake Sunday page features the gorgeous draftsmanship of Phil Davis, who drew the strip for thirty years. Two years after the first Mandrake Newspaper strip, </i>King Comics<i> began reprinting Sunday pages. In 1939, Columbia Pictures produced a serial version of the character, starring Warren Hull in the lead role ... without the trademark moustache.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Although there was already a stage performer working the Vaudeville circuit under the name of Mandrake the Magician, it has always been reported that Lee Falk's comic strip conjuror had the same name by coincidence. It's far more likely that Falk was using the far more famous Harry Blackstone as his template. When Falk realised there was a real-life Mandrake, he entered into an agreement with Leon Mandrake to cross-promote the strip and Leon's performances and the arrangement continued for years.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Zatara appeared in the first issue of </i>Action Comics<i> and continued for more than 140 issues. His series also ran in </i>World's Finest<i> and finished in 1951. Such was his popularity that he also merited two cover appearances in the early </i>Action Comics<i>. </i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">A couple of years after Mandrake's first appearance, the four-colour comic books took off. Hungry for content, comic book publishers would occasionally come up with startlingly original ideas for characters, but more often would just steal ideas from other creators. When Superman made his first appearance in <i>Action Comics 1</i> (Jun 1938) one of the back-up features was Zatara, a tuxedoed magician who bore an uncanny resemblance to Mandrake. Where Mandrake "gestured hypnotically" to manifest his power over others, Zatara would use the gimmick of talking backwards ... "Ouy era won ni ym rewop!" However, both employed Eastern strongmen as their assistants - Mandrake had Lothar and Zatara had Tong.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Zatara's daughter Zatanna became something of a fan-favourite when she made her debut in </i>Hawkman 4,<i> in a story written by Gardner Fox and drawn my Murphy Anderson.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Zatara ran in <i>Action Comics</i> until issue 141 (Feb 1950) and in <i>World's Finest</i> from 1 (Spr 1941) to 51 (Apr-May 1951). The character then dropped out of sight and didn't appear again until the Silver Age, when we got to meet Zatara's daughter, Zatanna, in <i>Hawkman 4</i> (Nov 1964).</span><br />
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<span face="">Once comic books became the big money-maker of the late 1930s publishing industry, publishers were scrambling around to find material to fill their pages. Unsurprisingly, other companies began running their versions of the Vaudeville stage-magician-turned-crimefighter.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Ibis the Invincible was created by Bob Kingett. Born Amentep in ancient Egypt, Ibis arrives in the 20th century via suspended animation, waking up in a museum in the United States. Ibis appeared in every issue of </i>Whiz Comics<i> until the last 155 (Jun 1953).</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Ibis the Invincible appeared in the first issue of <i>Whiz Comics</i> (issue 2, Feb 1940) and graduated to his own title in early 1943. Ibis also wore a tuxedo, but set it off with a jaunty turban, rather than a top hat. Ibis was actually a prince of ancient Egypt, who battles an evil magician, The Black Pharaoh, and comes off second best. Placing his love Taia and himself in a state of suspended animation, both wake up in the 20th Century and naturally elect to fight crime. With his magic Ibistick, Ibis wields the limitless occult power of dynastic Egypt - the bad guys don't have a chance. Ibis fought the forces of evil until 1953, when Fawcett Comics ceased publishing. The rights were acquired by DC Comics and the character was revived for one more adventure in 2007.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Doctor Fate first appeared in </i>More Fun 55,<i> written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Howard Sherman. His first cover appearance was in the following issue, </i>More Fun 56<i> (Jun 1940). Readers had to wait a year until </i>More Fun 67 <i>(May 1941) for an origin story.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">DC/National Comics gave us a second magician character when Dr Fate debuted in <i>More Fun Comics 55</i> (May 1940). Fate was more the superhero type, with his blue leotard and golden full-face helmet, underlined by the fact that he was also a charter member of the Justice Society of America. </span><br />
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<span face="">Doctor Fate is in reality Kent Nelson. While on an archeological gig in the Valley of Ur with his father Sven, the Nelsons unwittingly revive the ancient sorcerer Nabu the Wise, but Sven is accidentally killed in the encounter. Nabu adopts Kent and teaches him the secrets of sorcery over the next twenty years. Returning to America, the grown-up Kent sets up his headquarters in a windowless doorless tower in Salem, Massachusetts and, with his love interest Inza, begins his war on crime. By the nature of his power, Doctor Fate is - along with The Spectre - one of the most powerful characters in the DC canon.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Doctor Fate's Salem tower made an appearance on the front cover of </i>More Fun 61<i> (Nov 1940), then Fate himself took over the cover slot from The Spectre from </i>More Fun 68<i> (Jun 1941) to </i>76<i> (Feb 1942), after which he lost out to Green Arrow.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">His strip ran until </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">More Fun 98</i><span face=""> (Jul-Aug 1944), then character wasn't seen again for almost twenty years, when Fate was a guest-star - along with the rest of the Justice Society - in <i>Justice League of America 21</i> (Aug 1963) and <i>22</i> (Sep 1963), in the classic "Crisis on Earth One/Two" storyline, which I covered in the previous entry of this blog.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>The Steranko cover for the collection of Norgil pulp stories, written by Walter Gibson, better known as the "raconteur" of </i>The Shadow.</span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Meanwhile, Street and Smith - publishers of <i>The Shadow</i> and <i>Doc Savage</i> pulps - had also entered the comics market and gave us a comic strip version of their own tuxedoed magician Norgil, in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Shadow Comics 3</i><span face=""> (May 1940) and </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">9</i><span face=""> (Mar 1941), as well as in <i>Doc Savage Comics 4</i> and <i>5</i> (May and Aug 1941). Like other comic book magicians, Norgil had a pretty assistant, Miriam. The comic strip version couldn't have been that popular, as he only made four comics appearances, but his pulp adventures had been well-received and ran in the Street and Smith pulp <i>Crime Busters</i> (and later <i>Mystery Magazine</i>) from November 1937 to November 1940.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Norgil's first comics appearance was in </i>Shadow Comics 3<i>, in an untitled story by an unknown writer and an unnamed artist ... pretty mysterious, eh?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">The character had no supernatural powers and was a stage magician who solved crime, often involving a well-known stage illusion as a plot device. His pulp adventures were crafted by legendary <i>Shadow</i> writer Walter Gibson, himself a talented magician who also ghosted books for Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-owMwGu0dU/XyFM5Sa5AtI/AAAAAAAAFt8/4JlWL9I6YgIaTtiH-nLhBY6gEcG9IoA5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/NationalComics001_Merlin_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1200" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-owMwGu0dU/XyFM5Sa5AtI/AAAAAAAAFt8/4JlWL9I6YgIaTtiH-nLhBY6gEcG9IoA5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/NationalComics001_Merlin_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Merlin the Magician ran in the first 45 issues of Quality's </i>National Comics<i>, initially written and drawn by Dan Zolnerowich under the pen-name "Lance Blackwood", but later by Fred Guardineer.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Over at Quality Comics, another conjuror in a tuxedo, Merlin the Magician, was featured in the first issue of <i>National Comics</i> (Jul 1940). This mystic mage acquired his powers when his eccentric uncle bestowed upon him the actual cloak of the legendary Merlin. This instantly gave Jock Kellogg all the powers of the Arthurian magician, which included teleportation, summoning of mythological creatures to do his bidding, astral projection, telekinesis, reality manipulation and the ability to bring anyone back to life. Often he would invoke his magic by pronouncing his spells backwards, probably because writer-artist Fred Guardineer was also responsible for DC's Zatara character. All of this he used to fight nazis. The biggest mystery was how the war managed to last another five years. Merlin ran in <i>National Comics</i> till issue 45 (Dec 1944).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_suM1CdWKSw/XyFWJvw3GiI/AAAAAAAAFuI/Z3jWetTs-Hkptgn6_aAoNnsmALd1fxmqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/AllAm026_Sargon_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1200" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_suM1CdWKSw/XyFWJvw3GiI/AAAAAAAAFuI/Z3jWetTs-Hkptgn6_aAoNnsmALd1fxmqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/AllAm026_Sargon_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Sargon the Sorcerer - the back-up feature that wouldn't die. Despite being a bit hokey and a bit bland, Sargon lasted the longest of the Golden Age magician heroes, almost eight years across three different DC titles.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">A little late to the party - but enjoying a longer run than others - was yet another tuxedoed and turbanned mystic, DC's Sargon the Sorcerer. Sargon appeared in <i>All-American 26 - 50</i> (May 1941 - Jun 1943), then in <i>Comic Cavalcade 3 - 14</i> (Sum 1943- Apr-May 1946), having a short run in <i>Sensation Comics 34 - 36</i> (Oct - Dec 1944), then permanently moving to <i>Sensation</i> with issue <i>52</i> (Apr 1946) and ending in <i>83</i> (Nov 1948). Using magic power derived from the mysterious "Ruby of Life" Sargon, aided by his comedy relief manager Max O'Leary, fought crooks, spies and his azure-skinned archenemy the Blue Lama, the Queen of Black Magic. Sargon would return in the Silver Age as a villain, but quickly reformed and was made an honorary member of the Justice League.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DRFwWn9Guoo/XyFsCjlEZHI/AAAAAAAAFuU/Gz9i7dJpSEgz_UMynRzLjQ21wwGn3LqygCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Super-MagicComics001_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="1600" height="176" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DRFwWn9Guoo/XyFsCjlEZHI/AAAAAAAAFuU/Gz9i7dJpSEgz_UMynRzLjQ21wwGn3LqygCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Super-MagicComics001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>After the first issue, </i>Super-Magic Comics<i> changed its title to </i>Super-Magician Comics<i> and enjoyed a healthy six-year run, with the real-life Blackstone as the lead feature for the first five years.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">After being impersonated by so many comic book magicians, Harry Blackstone himself became a comic character, starring in Street and Smith's <i>Super-Magician Comics 1 - 46</i> (May 1941 to Feb 1946). The comic-book Blackstone had no supernatural powers, but instead used his knowledge of stage magic to uncover the schemes and machinations of the underworld.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ukj8E6Fw33g/XyFxCEdufsI/AAAAAAAAFug/eIudDCxEIrYIueyNsePTRW2jbu-dgqxjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/HoS023_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1600" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ukj8E6Fw33g/XyFxCEdufsI/AAAAAAAAFug/eIudDCxEIrYIueyNsePTRW2jbu-dgqxjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/HoS023_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Mark Merlin was created by Mort Meskin, a former member of the Simon and Kirby studio, and ran for six years from </i>House of Secrets 23 <i>to</i> 73<i>, initially scripted by Jack Miller, then by Arnold Drake and finally by Bob Haney.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">The archetypal magician fell out of favour during the post-war years and it would take the Silver Age superhero revival to reboot the genre. The 1959 debut of Mark Merlin in DC's </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">House of Secrets 23</i><span face=""> (Aug 1959) was a little misleading, as the earliest adventures had the occult detective mostly fighting aliens and robots. Any supernatural menaces were usually dismissed as hoaxes by the end of the adventure. But in 1963, editor Jack Schiff was replaced by Murray Boltinoff. And Boltinoff replaced scripter Jack Miller with Arnold Drake and within a few issues, Mark Merlin was battling genuine occult menaces. Then in 1965, Mark Merlin was killed off, then reincarnated in <i>House of Secrets 74</i> (Sep-Oct 1965) as Prince Ra-Man.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ePRD5E6ErJE/XyF1XmEL8LI/AAAAAAAAFus/ymUbI4t3TMo70tvQXK-reIc2tQrbxpRYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JLA-Flash_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1311" height="177" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ePRD5E6ErJE/XyF1XmEL8LI/AAAAAAAAFus/ymUbI4t3TMo70tvQXK-reIc2tQrbxpRYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/JLA-Flash_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Bring on the bad guys - The only new magicians we'd see from DC during the early 1960s were villainous adversaries for our heroes to best. Felix Faust would take on the entire Justice League before being defeated. Future magician Abra-Kadabra would transform The Flash into a puppet before being returned to the 64th century to face a death sentence.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">And that was it for a while. The stage magician in a tuxedo archetype pretty much went away after this, but for the revival of Zatara and his daughter Zatanna in <i>Hawkman 4</i> (Nov 1964) - however I get the distinct impression that this was done a little tongue-in-cheek. It's difficult to take Zatanna's costume seriously, as much as I might like it. </span><br />
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<span face="">We did, however, see the Justice League battle a different style of ancient sorcerer Felix Faust in <i>JLA 10</i> (Mar 1962), and in <i>The Flash 128</i> (May 1962), the Scarlet Speedster had his hands full with future magician Abra-Kadabra, who used super-advanced science that resembled magic and wore a weird stylised future-tux. But we wouldn't see "real" magic in comics until the following year, when Steve Ditko came to our rescue.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5R_Nf3kS1tY/XyF7Lny1i-I/AAAAAAAAFu4/N7lWvgRJVJwE2Eszdh_yJjY4N5GsNdPcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ST101_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5R_Nf3kS1tY/XyF7Lny1i-I/AAAAAAAAFu4/N7lWvgRJVJwE2Eszdh_yJjY4N5GsNdPcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ST101_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>The first Human Torch stories in </i>Strange Tales<i> were plotted by Stan, scripted by Larry Lieber and drawn by Jack Kirby. By </i>Strange Tales 106<i>, Kirby was off the book and inker Dick Ayers took over pencilling as well. With </i>Strange Tales 108<i>, Lee replaced Lieber with Robert Bernstein and brought Kirby back for two issues. With </i>Strange Tales 110<i>, Bernstein was out and Ernie Hart was in. Issues </i>112<i> and </i>113<i> had Jerry Siegel on scripting.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Marvel's <i>Strange Tales</i> had been running the solo adventures of The Fantastic Four's Human Torch from issue 101 (Oct 1962). I had the impression that Stan's heart wasn't really in it, as these early Torch tales had some strange differences compared to the Human Torch depicted in the <i>FF</i> comics. This Torch had a secret identity and lived in a small town in upstate New York. The <i>FF</i> Torch lived in the Baxter Building in Manhattan with the rest of the FF. I could be mistaken, but it seems as though starring the Human Torch in <i>Strange Tales</i> was an edict from Publisher Martin Goodman rather than an inspiration from Editor Stan Lee.</span><br />
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<span face="">The Torch made his directionless way through <i>Strange Tales</i> for nine months before Stan Lee decided to try out another feature in the book. Steve Ditko had brought Stan a new character called Mister Strange, probably a bit corny for a character who was to appear in <i>Strange Tales</i>. Stan didn't seem awful keen, and was dismissive of the idea in a letter to Jerry Bails.</span><br />
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<span face="">"We have a new character in the works for <i>Strange Tales</i>," Stan wrote on 9th Jan 1963. "Steve Ditko is gonna draw him. Sort of a black magic theme. The first story is nothing great, but perhaps we can make something of him—'twas Steve's idea, and I figgered we'd give it a chance, although again, we had to rush the first one too much. Little sidelight: Originally decided to call him MR. STRANGE, but thought the MR. a bit too similar to MR. FANTASTIC—- now, however, I just remember we had a villain called DR. STRANGE just recently in one of our mags—- hope it won't be too confusing! Oh well..."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-HE55fe-EY/XyGD7VTEQCI/AAAAAAAAFvE/a3tRLP_kSdIalrBltrlRCK1Ygds9O5YwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ST110_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="1200" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-HE55fe-EY/XyGD7VTEQCI/AAAAAAAAFvE/a3tRLP_kSdIalrBltrlRCK1Ygds9O5YwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ST110_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Who is Dr Strange? Where did he come from? What sinister purpose does he have appearing unannounced in</i> Strange Tales 110<i>? Why does Stan hate him at first, then very quickly love him? Perhaps these questions will be answered in the next entry in this blog.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Dr Strange first appeared in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Strange Tales 110</i><span face=""> (Jul 1963) with little fanfare. There was no origin, no explanation of who this character was and how he fitted into the Marvel continuity. The character made another appearance in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Strange Tales 111</i><span face="">, then promptly disappeared, a pretty good trick, even for a comic book magician.</span><br />
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<span face="">But Stan Lee was about to have an epiphany ... and that story - and the story of Dr Strange - will be told in the next edition of <i>Marvel in the Silver Age</i>.</span><br />
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<span face=""><br /></span><span face=""><b>Next: More Marvel, Magic and Strange Tales</b></span>
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AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-73435623037913054662020-06-21T13:39:00.002-07:002021-09-09T00:04:00.418-07:00My Top Ten DCs of the Early 1960s: Part 2<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>IN THE EARLY 1960s I EXPERIMENTED WITH DC COMICS.</b> It was only for a couple of years before I moved on to the good stuff - Stan Lee's Marvel Comics - but for those first tentative steps into the four-colour world, I knew only the implausible coincidences and plot-driven stylings of Mort Weisinger and Julius Schwartz. And while I still much prefer Marvel to DC, especially the comics of my youth, there are a few DCs that I still remember with love and affection.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-28OywrMf4k4/XttgWNGT1TI/AAAAAAAAFnA/3d10OtBnwwwDM4aiLiap3z-9JNv2irzgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TopFive_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="1600" height="111" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-28OywrMf4k4/XttgWNGT1TI/AAAAAAAAFnA/3d10OtBnwwwDM4aiLiap3z-9JNv2irzgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/TopFive_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>It's true ... there's a lot of Mort Weisinger books in my top five, but these stories were pitched perfectly at my age-group at the time. I would have been nine when I was picking up those early </i>Action Comics. <b><i>Click image to enlarge.</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Last time on this blog I looked at the lower half of my top ten most fondly-remembered DC stories of my formative years - around 1963 to 1965 - then ran out of room (and time) because I found I had more to say than I'd thought ... so here, then, are the top five. Again, I stress these are not the "best" DC comics of that era, just the ones that struck a chord with me and that I still remember to this day.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">5. JUSTICE LEAGUE 21 & 22</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">OK, maybe this DC story <i>is</i> one of the best of the era. It was so successful that it became an annual event and established the whole DC multiple-universe thing. In the story it's explained that the Golden Age DC characters from the 1940s actually exist in a parallel universe on Earth-Two. The Silver Age DC superheroes all live on Earth-One. OK, it's a tad more complicated than that, as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman continued straight on from the 1940s to the 1960s, but if you need to know more about that, you can Google it yourself.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-evp3uCvXTA0/XttnxQYbz8I/AAAAAAAAFnM/yTHy_MvlNLUBGJIjbsYBU6Hdr-Gv891ugCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JLA021-022_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="800" height="326" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-evp3uCvXTA0/XttnxQYbz8I/AAAAAAAAFnM/yTHy_MvlNLUBGJIjbsYBU6Hdr-Gv891ugCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/JLA021-022_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Unusually for an early 1960s comic, the Crisis on Earth One/Two story unfolded across two complete issues of </i>Justice League of America<i>, created by the regular team of scripter Gardner Fox and artists Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For me, the first glimpse I had of DC's alternate Earths - and indeed of Golden Age characters - was in the <i>Justice League of America</i> stories, "Crisis on Earth-One" and "Crisis on Earth-Two" in issues 21 and 21 (Aug & Sep 1963) of that comic. And despite the spotty distribution we had to deal with in the UK, I distinctly remember buying both issues from a spinner rack at the same time, probably in the autumn or winter of 1963. Then I pretty much read them to pieces ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JiMoGfSeVKw/XtyvtWnx3qI/AAAAAAAAFnc/ZELwqCCexP4Z21gak1o0RMNgh3IZuZ6VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JLA021_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1600" height="177" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JiMoGfSeVKw/XtyvtWnx3qI/AAAAAAAAFnc/ZELwqCCexP4Z21gak1o0RMNgh3IZuZ6VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/JLA021_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>New readers get an introduction to not only The Justice League but also The Justice Society in the first three pages of the tale. And there's an explanation of how the parallel Earths are related to each other and a reference the </i>Flash 123<i> (Sep 1961) where DC first introduced the concept.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The plot is a little complex, but scripter Gardner Fox has fifty pages for explanations. Essentially, two trios of criminals, from two different Earths, plan to commit crimes then escape justice by immediately fleeing to the alternative Earth. So Earth-One's Felix Faust (from <i>JLA 10</i>, Mar 1962), Chronos (from <i>The Atom 3</i>, Oct 1962) and Doctor Alchemy (from <i>Showcase 13</i>, Mar 1958 - though he was "Mr Element" back then) conspire to commit crimes on their native Earth-One then hide out on Earth-Two ... while The Fiddler (<i>All-Flash 32</i>, Dec 1947), The Wizard (from <i>All-Star 34</i>, Apr 1947) and The Icicle (from <i>All-American 90</i>, Oct 1947) will carry out million-dollar robberies on Earth-Two then cross over to Earth-One to escape. Then, to further complicate things, the Earth-Two villains plan to disguise themselves as their Earth-One allies, rob Las Vegas (called "Casino Town" in the story) and defeat Earth-One's Justice League heroes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rbftjUPSk5k/Xty5sGG2bYI/AAAAAAAAFnw/iS8QXNOxEmQq7m6EoH-ulgFTKgqpoOBpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JLA021_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1315" data-original-width="1600" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rbftjUPSk5k/Xty5sGG2bYI/AAAAAAAAFnw/iS8QXNOxEmQq7m6EoH-ulgFTKgqpoOBpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/JLA021_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Here's a montage of my favourite scenes from J</i>ustice League of America 21<i> ... I love the panel where the JLA and the JSA meets for the first time. Check out the two Atoms in the foreground shaking hands.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Highlights of <i>Justice League 21</i> for me were the two scenes in Chapter Two where the "weaker" heroes save their more powerful colleagues. The Atom rescues Martian Manhunter from a shower of fiery pebbles by literally kicking them into touch, while Green Arrow saves Superman from a fire hydrant transformed into Kryptonite by dowsing it in lead paint from a well-placed trick arrow. I also loved the scene where the JLS summons the JSA with a good, old-fashioned seance ... and the following iconic scene where the Justice League members shake hands with their Earth-Two counterparts. All magical memories for me, even after more than fifty years.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The issue ends with the JLA, trapped in their own secret sanctuary by the magic of The Wizard, escaping to Earth-Two via Dr Fate's magic and preparing to chase down the Earth-One villains there.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So complicated is this tale that the splash page of <i>Justice League 22</i> is given over almost entirely to a recap of the story so far. It's exactly the sort of thing I would have skipped over as a nine-year old. But here is is, in case you really need to read it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Y9bbn3MugI/Xt-9KtXZ_dI/AAAAAAAAFn8/ACulE-TvGigAw-QJh6OkY-H7tiVPeV3jwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JLA022_pg01.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1131" data-original-width="867" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Y9bbn3MugI/Xt-9KtXZ_dI/AAAAAAAAFn8/ACulE-TvGigAw-QJh6OkY-H7tiVPeV3jwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/JLA022_pg01.JPG" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Is this the busiest Intro page you ever saw? The verbiage has literally crowded the splash art off the page. It's a pretty brave move, when the format of the day was to have a big eye-grabbing image at the start of every chapter.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There then follows an epic 17-page battle as the combined might of the Justice League and the Justice Society defeat their foes, one-by-one. And just when it seems their victory is complete, the superheroes are trapped by another of the villain's machinations, this time ending up floating in space, trapped in cells tailor-made to negate their powers. Of course, our heroes escape in a cunning and clever way and congregate on Earth-One to beat the tar out of the cross-dimensional baddies in an epic double-page spread by Sekowsky and Sachs.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MU1EVPDNXyw/Xu4eD6RMVlI/AAAAAAAAFoI/56NFQ7SZnCondjqgiWD0z3ytqyVZtLdUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JLA022_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1200" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MU1EVPDNXyw/Xu4eD6RMVlI/AAAAAAAAFoI/56NFQ7SZnCondjqgiWD0z3ytqyVZtLdUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/JLA022_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Absolute chaos - The Justice League and the Justice Society gang up on a handful of villains and whoop their behinds from one dimension to another. When you look at it like this, it hardly seems fair, does it?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Much as I love this comic - and bear in mind this is regarded as a classic by many Silver Age fans - there's not really a great deal of story here. An incredible 35 pages of the 50-page tale is devoted to battle scenes. More than two thirds. With a few chat scenes interspersed. It's no wonder that later fans criticised the <i>Justice League of America</i> comic for portraying the DC heroes as having scant personality and interchangeable dialogue.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Stan Lee's more populist approach in the Marvel Comics of the same period would very quickly start stealing sales from DC, while the DC editors scratched their heads and wondered why.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I don't think Gardner Fox and his DC contemporaries were bad writers, but they were of another era. And what was sufficient back in the 1940s Golden Age of Comics just didn't fly in the youth-culture driven 1960s, something I've <a href="http://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-hulk-on-tv.html#GoldenVsSilver">discussed in other chapters of this blog</a>. A cool name, costume and clever super-powers weren't enough, on their own, to sell comics. The new breed of comic fan wanted characterisation, wisecracks and a good storyline as well. And that's what, in the end, drove me away from DC and towards Marvel.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But hokey though they may be ... my nine-year old self still loves those old <i>Justice League</i> comics ...</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">4. BATMAN ANNUAL 4</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This was one of the earliest American comics I can remember owning. It certainly wasn't bought new - it was coverless - and I wasn't one of those kids who likes to rip the covers off comics. I have a feeling someone might have given it to me, because the cover was missing. But wherever I got it from, I loved this comic, literally to pieces.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W8GE1KC4-8Q/Xu4kLZ-8stI/AAAAAAAAFoU/EBCYg8VloFsjdT8TuxlcbxPtfK4lyoCLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BatmanAnn004_12-62.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W8GE1KC4-8Q/Xu4kLZ-8stI/AAAAAAAAFoU/EBCYg8VloFsjdT8TuxlcbxPtfK4lyoCLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/BatmanAnn004_12-62.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>In the early 1960s, Superman editor Mort Weisinger realised there was a market for 25 cent comics packed with old reprints. With double the cover-price and no editorial costs, it was a no-brainer and Batman editor Jack Schiff soon followed suit.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Two stories in the bumper crop of Batman reprints from the character's silliest period still stand out in my memory... "The First Batman", in which Batman discovers his father fought crime in a bat-costume before he did, and "The Man Who Ended Batman's Career" in which Batman develops bat-phobia and changes his identity to Starman. So much did I love the latter story that, when I was nine, I tried to make myself a Starman costume, so I could help Batman. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D8AFfO2jncc/Xu4n2IlR3uI/AAAAAAAAFog/EN4NgvwmsrcN_o4f0axocBSGll2BYzF9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BatmanAnn04_Det235_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D8AFfO2jncc/Xu4n2IlR3uI/AAAAAAAAFog/EN4NgvwmsrcN_o4f0axocBSGll2BYzF9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/BatmanAnn04_Det235_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>We all know Bruce Wayne became Batman when a bat flew in his window one night and he was inspired to disguise himself as "a creature of the night, dark and terrible." as described in </i>Detective Comics 33<i> (Nov 1939). But this story suggests that another Wayne had the same idea two decades earlier.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"The First Batman" originally appeared in <i>Detective Comics 235</i> (Sep 1956), story by Bill Finger and art by Sheldon Moldoff and Stan Kaye, though the first page carries Bob Kane's signature. The story recaps the origin of Batman and reveals the final fate of Joey Chill, the murderer of Bruce Wayne's parents. But a chance discovery of a Batman-like costume in the attic of stately Wayne Manor prompts Bruce to recall the time when his father wore a Bat-costume. Attending a masquerade ball in the costume, Wayne senior is grabbed by gangsters who need his medical skills to remove a bullet from crook Lew Moxon. Dr Wayne fights back though, and Moxon is arrested and sentenced to ten years. When Moxon is finally released, he wants to get even, but isn't prepared to kill Dr Wayne himself. Thus it's revealed that Joey Chill was only the trigger-man. It's Moxon who was behind the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. The rest of the tale has Batman track down Moxon and ring a confession out of him.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It's a memorable tale for me because it reveals essential back story to Batman's origin. I don't know whether those plot details became canon ... I suspect not, but I quite like the way Bill Finger revises Batman's history in an interesting way.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--CP3qAXKLVY/Xu430asITjI/AAAAAAAAFos/GQQXeZOyv-I7lIwzI-WuBENkTmbccSwMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BatmanAnn04_Det247_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--CP3qAXKLVY/Xu430asITjI/AAAAAAAAFos/GQQXeZOyv-I7lIwzI-WuBENkTmbccSwMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/BatmanAnn04_Det247_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>As a kid, I liked Starman even more than Batman, for some reason. It never occurred to me to wonder how Batman managed to get a Starplane built so quickly ... and by whom? But I really liked the star-darts Starman used to pin baddies to a wall.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The second memorable tale in that Annual was "The Man Who Ended Batman's Career", which appeared originally in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Detective Comics 247</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (Sep1957). Another Finger/Moldoff extravaganza, this time inked by Charles Paris, this story had Batman afflicted with a morbid fear of bats by mad Professor Milo. Unable to even look at the emblem on his Batman costume, Bruce Wayne is forced to adopt a new costumed identity ... Starman. Starman's gimmick is that he can fling ninja stars with deadly accuracy. Only Robin's intervention gets Batman over his phobia and back to his bat-fighting self.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Of course, the crooks soon figure out that Starman is just Batman in another costume ... but it was a fun ride while it lasted, and my nine-year old self was disappointed that Starman didn't get his own comic. Plus, I knew about ninja stars long before anyone else did.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a7mN5x83Zes/Xu5S3JzuE1I/AAAAAAAAFo4/54A6yaD_KaEKdjYtbEd5PhxKaLlidmyMACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BatmanAnn04_Det233_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a7mN5x83Zes/Xu5S3JzuE1I/AAAAAAAAFo4/54A6yaD_KaEKdjYtbEd5PhxKaLlidmyMACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/BatmanAnn04_Det233_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Despite Shelly Moldoff's idiosyncratic art style, I was a big fan of the Atomic Age Batwoman. Though she was initially treated as Batman's Lois Lane - more an annoyance than an ally - she quickly became an integral part of the extended Bat-family. Her last appearance was in </i>Detective 318<i> (Aug 1963), after which she disappeared with no explanation.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What I had completely forgotten about </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Batman Annual 4</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> was that it also reprinted the first appearance of Batwoman. Now anyone who has followed my blog over the years will know that my favourite female comic characters typically have dark hair. So as a kid, I loved the 1950s version of Batwoman and thought she was a wonderful partner for Batman ... much better than that daft Robin. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Of course, given the times, Batwoman was portrayed as a "typical female". Her Bat-weapons were sneezing face powder, charm bracelets that doubled as handcuffs and a compact mirror she used to dazzle crooks, all carried in a handbag ... At one point, when Batwoman tries to help, Batman observes, "This is no place for a girl". A few pages later, some crooks say, "Batman and Robin ... and Batwoman. There's only two of them, the girl doesn't count." Finally, Batman figures out her secret identity as Kathy Kane, trapeze artist-turned-socialite, and tells to end her career as a crimefighter. "If I found you out," says Batman, "crooks could too, eventually! Once they learned your real identity, you'd be in mortal danger." Batwoman capitulates. "I never thought of that," she says, "I guess you're right. I - I'll quit my career as Batwoman." Thank goodness she didn't, eh? </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DlPXwMmeAIc/Xu86YAet7vI/AAAAAAAAFpE/UofUOVgqWF46nXsHW6C_y72C6vT1ZoLNACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Batwoman_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="1272" height="378" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DlPXwMmeAIc/Xu86YAet7vI/AAAAAAAAFpE/UofUOVgqWF46nXsHW6C_y72C6vT1ZoLNACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Batwoman_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Here's some of my favourite Batwoman covers. </i>Batman 105<i> was her second appearance. </i>Batman 102<i> (Mar 1959) had the pair marry. </i>Detective 276<i> (Feb 1960) teamed Batwoman up with Bat-Mite. In </i>Batman 131<i> (Apr 1960) we find out what happens in the future when Batman marries Batwoman. In </i>Batman 133<i> (Aug 1960) it's that pesky Bat-Mite again. And Batwoman's final appearance was in </i>Detective 318.</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I'll round out this section with a selection of my favourite Batwoman covers, ranging from her second appearance in <i>Batman 105</i> (Feb 1957) to her final outing in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Detective Comics 318</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (July 1956).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">3. SUPERBOY 89</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Another comic I really enjoyed as a pre-Marvel child was <i>Superboy</i>. Incredibly, there are no collected editions of the Silver Age <i>Superboy</i> stories. I can't only surmise that there some sort of rights problem that prevents it. However, The Legion of Superheroes collections from DC include many stories from the original <i>Superboy</i> comics, including one of my favourites, "Superboy's Big Brother" from <i>Superboy 89</i> (Jun 1961). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dpm0-CEcYlc/Xu9H87OlZEI/AAAAAAAAFpQ/GmtTwaKMBtYg_DDKbGXps1NYdAEcDZpiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Superboy089_06-61_sm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dpm0-CEcYlc/Xu9H87OlZEI/AAAAAAAAFpQ/GmtTwaKMBtYg_DDKbGXps1NYdAEcDZpiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Superboy089_06-61_sm.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The cover of </i>Superboy 89 <i>depicts perhaps the daftest scene in the comic, where Superboy and his new "big brother" discover a "Jack-in-theBox monster left behind by a weird race of space people who make crazy toys."</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My earliest exposure to Superboy would likely have been through one of those old black-and-white Superboy Annuals that were published in the UK during the late 1950s and early 1960s. I definitely recall having an Annual that had about 80 pages of George Papp-drawn <i>Superboy</i> reprints with Rex the Wonder Dog as a backup, but I can't identify which one it was because it was coverless. And I can't rightly say whether I read "Superboy's Big Brother" in the colour comic or in the B&W reprint, but the story stuck with me over the decades ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5Dny49F4Bs/Xu9Kf-5gv4I/AAAAAAAAFpc/_5OPtVgK7oM_1Wd0IbRqvn_yoqbrETEQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SuperboyAnn_63-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="447" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5Dny49F4Bs/Xu9Kf-5gv4I/AAAAAAAAFpc/_5OPtVgK7oM_1Wd0IbRqvn_yoqbrETEQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SuperboyAnn_63-64.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>These black-and-white albums were produced by a company called Atlas Publishing (no relation to Marvel Comics) during the late 1950s and early 1960s. They also published </i>Superman <i>and</i> Batman Albums<i>, and several ongoing comics like </i>Space Ace, Lone Star <i>and</i> Diamond Adventure Comic. </span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Written by Robert Bernstein and drawn by George Papp, behind a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, "Superboy's Big Brother" was a rare, 19-page tale at a time when DC typically filled their books with eight and 13-page stories. And it's probably Bernstein's highest-profile story.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekVvbVjXcfc/Xu9bQs9oS1I/AAAAAAAAFpo/nA3MoDm_qdwAG9ctYVheUfTThm-xAuSRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Superboy089_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekVvbVjXcfc/Xu9bQs9oS1I/AAAAAAAAFpo/nA3MoDm_qdwAG9ctYVheUfTThm-xAuSRACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Superboy089_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The story begins joyously, with Superboy enjoying the company of his "big brother" as they use their super-powers to "play ball" together and perform other super-feats, but will soon descend into mistrust and suspicion.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The tale begins when a mysterious rocket crash-lands near Smallville. Superboy investigates and discovers a lad slightly older than himself among the wreckage. The teenager has no memory of who he is, but a plaque round his neck inscribed with Krytonian characters. Superboy immediately assumes that the newcomer is Kryptonian and probably related. This is confirmed when "Mon-El" proves to have super-powers, just like Superboy. However, further discoveries - Krypto doesn't recognise Mon-El and Mon-El is immune to Kryptonite - make Superboy suspect there's another explanation for his brother being on Earth.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rSlPMkhom9E/Xu9fINrLsvI/AAAAAAAAFp0/XsWbphsoa00hzPQxwGzFINDRGvuBzzTMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Superboy089_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1600" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rSlPMkhom9E/Xu9fINrLsvI/AAAAAAAAFp0/XsWbphsoa00hzPQxwGzFINDRGvuBzzTMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Superboy089_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Ultimately, Superboy causes the near-death of his newly-found "brother" when he fears that Mon-El has some sinister motive for pretending to be from Krypton, despite Mon-El never making any such claim. It's interesting that Bernstein's script makes Superboy the baddie and Mon-El the innocent victim.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As Superboy's suspicions grow, he lays a trap for Mon-El and disguises some lead boulders to look like Kryptonite and arranges to have them rain down on Mon-El and himself. Superboy pretends the "Kryptonite" is killing him, and when Mon-El appears to have the same reaction, Superboy thinks he's exposed Mon-El's deception. But it turns out there's an explanation.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Mon-El" is actually from the planet Daxam, where the inhabitants are super-sensitive to lead, a substance that kills them with only one exposure. Superboy's only recourse is to send Mon-El into the Phantom Zone until a cure for the lead poisoning can be found.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It's a story full of loss, loneliness and recrimination, a rare emotions-driven story in DC's Silver Age. Superboy's feeling of isolation - as the last survivor of Krypton - makes him ready to accept Mon-El as his older brother. Mon-El is also a connection to Superboy's lost parents, and as a teenager rather than a grown man, Superboy would still feel that loss keenly. And it is Superboy's suspicions that cause him to lay the fatal trap for Mon-El, dooming his best friend because he thought Mon-El was trying to cheat him.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">All these story elements I recognised as important and resonant, even as a nine-year old child. Even back then, I was looking for stories about human emotions, something that most of the DC line didn't offer.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Of course, later - probably due to reader reaction - a cure was found for Mon-El and he was able to join the Legion of Superheroes in the 30th century. But it was this story that started it all and still remains in my memory more than fifty years after I first read it.</span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">2. ACTION COMICS 300</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My second-favourite DC comic of my pre-Marvel years is another Mort Weisinger spectacular, "Superman under the Red Sun", which appeared in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Action Comics 300</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (May 1963).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-72Fm9NEVLlw/Xu9jFI8NNoI/AAAAAAAAFqA/whBXqoJQyCQ7KHos9bFKwFmzC8YHr_E8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Action300_05-63.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-72Fm9NEVLlw/Xu9jFI8NNoI/AAAAAAAAFqA/whBXqoJQyCQ7KHos9bFKwFmzC8YHr_E8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Action300_05-63.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Behind this iconic cover by Curt Swan and George Klein is an equally classic Superman story, in which Superman is trapped in the far-flung future where the Sun has turned red, robbing him of his powers. How will Superman escape this unescapable trap? My nine-year old self really needed to know.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Though only running 14 pages, this story - written by Ed Hamilton and drawn by Al Plastino - was able to give us a sense of Superman's isolation as a stranger in a strange land.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It starts with Superman investigating a spaceship in Earth orbit, which turns of to be a craft of the criminal organisation, The Superman Revenge Squad. The spaceship tries to flee, going so fast it cracks the time barrier into the future. Superman gives chase, but suddenly loses his powers and plummets to earth, a million years in the future under a red sun.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Though Mort Weisinger (along with Julius Schwartz) came from a science fiction background, the science here is wobbly. A star like Sol may have started as a red dwarf, and later in its cycle might become a white dwarf, but it doesn't have enough mass to end up as a red giant. So in the far flung future, Sol wouldn't become red. Plus, a million years is but a moment in a star's evolution. It would take around 10 trillion years for a star like Sol to enter its next phase. But I didn't know that when I was nine.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The story has a couple of plot holes ... the chief one is that one million years isn't enough time for the sun to evolve to another state. Secondly, when our sun does change, it will become a white dwarf. And thirdly, a red sun is lower-powered than a yellow one and therefore wouldn't cause the Earth's oceans to dry up.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The main point is that Superman finds himself alone and powerless a million years in the future where all his friends are long-dead. Using only his wits he must figure out how to escape from this time and return to 1963. Accompanied only by an android duplicate of Perry White, Superman sets off to reach his Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole, where he believes he may find a way to escape his predicament.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Along the way, Superman and Robo-Perry encounter some exotic life forms, like a land whale and land octopi (which again wouldn't have evolved in a mere one million years), which add some further danger to the trek.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Great ... Superman has a plan to allow him to return to his own time. He'll shrink himself with the still functioning reducer-ray, then pilot a tiny Kandorian rocket through the time barrier. But what's the error here? Click the image to expand and read the pages and see if you can figure it out.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Finally, Superman makes to the Arctic, now a desert wasteland, and scales the cliff to the door of his Fortress. But even as Superman gains entry through the door's huge keyhole, he's dismayed to discover that the bottle cit of Kandor is no longer there. I'm not quite sure how that would have helped him, but there's another solution at hand. A miniature Kandorian rocket has been left behind, along with the shrinking ray Superman has used before to reduce his size to allow him to enter Kandor. So that's all fine. He can make himself small enough to climb in the rocket and fly out of there and through the time barrier. But then the plotting gets a little muddled.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Superman also finds a piece of Red Kryptonite he was looking for, thinking "This Red Kryptonite won't affect me till I unwrap it. I once observed its effect on Krypto and it should have the same effect on me." What? What effect? The second to last panel has tiny Superman back in Metropolis musing, "Now to wait until the temporary effect of the Red Kryptonite wears off and I'm my super-self again."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I suspect some incompetent editorial interference. Perhaps some panels were removed from the last page to accomodate the ad. But there's definitely something missing here. Perhaps the original script had Superman shrunk down by the Red Kryptonite. That's certainly the implication in the published text. Maybe Weisinger thought that Red K shouldn't affect Superman when he doesn't have powers, so asked his staff to edit that bit out. They just didn't do it properly.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That notwithstanding ... it's still one of my all-time favourite early 1960s DC stories. It has a melancholy feel to it that other Superman stories of the era didn't have.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1. ACTION COMICS 309-310</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My top DC story of the early 1960s is another sad one. "The Untold Story of Argo City" is an expanded version of the origin of Supergirl that appeared back in <i>Action Comics 252</i> (May 1959). Essentially, the plot points are the same, but the later two-parter, which ran in <i>Action Comics 309</i> and <i>310</i> (Feb-Mar 1964), expands more on the scenes in the doomed Argo City, where the Kryptonians struggle to survive life on a rock of solid Kryptonite.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Five years after Supergirl first appeared, DC Comics gave us an expanded version of Supergirl's origin in the two-part tale, "The Untold Story of Argo City", which would add a dilemma for Supergirl when she must choose between her adoptive parents, The Danvers, and her real parents, Zor-El and Allura.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The story is scripted by Leo Dorfman - expanding the original plot of <i>Action 252</i> by Otto Binder - and drawn by Jim Mooney, and begins with Linda (Supergirl) Danvers dreaming that her real parents, Zor-El and Allura, are trying to communicate with her. With the help of Superhorse's telepathic powers, Supergirl is led to believe that her Kryptonian parents are alive but trapped in the Phantom Zone. Yet when Supergirl enters The Zone she fails to find any trace of her parents.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Via the ChronoScope, Supergirl can watch the last moments of Argo City, as first survival then doom beckon to the last surviving citizens of Krypton.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Her next plan it to use a handy "ChronoScope" that Superman invented (presumably solely for this story) to watch long-past events in Argo City to discover what happened to Zor-El and Allura. At last it's revealed that Supergirl's parents escaped into a dimension similar to The Phantom Zone, but separate from it. Now it only remains for Supergirl to figure out how to release Zor-El and Allura from The Survival Zone.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Supergirl's quest takes her first to Kandor City, where scientist help track the movements of Supergirl's parents inside the Survival Zone to the implauible "New Krypton", a memorial set up by Superman and Supergirl in tribute to the lost souls of Krypton. From there she then unnecessarily follows the Survival Zone "gulf stream" back to Earth where she can begin the process of extraction using a handy "sensitive view screen for national defence" that's conveniently stowed in the Danvers' basement. A few tweaks and Zor-El and Allura are able to step through the screen and into Supergirl's reality.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qyZexW6Fr5k/Xu-FnFcwXAI/AAAAAAAAFq8/TOHmAZeknOUjCKEuh8RDp7kRhuyonxAcACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Action310_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qyZexW6Fr5k/Xu-FnFcwXAI/AAAAAAAAFq8/TOHmAZeknOUjCKEuh8RDp7kRhuyonxAcACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Action310_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The big problem Supergirl faces in the conclusion of this tale is how she can bring her real parents back from The Survival Zone without breaking the hearts of her adoptive parents, The Danvers. In the end, Zor-El takes that decision out of Supergirl's hands.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But after a few joyous scenes of reunion and enjoying each other's company, it's plain that this can't be allowed to go on, so the Els must be sent to Kandor by DC's Dark Overlord Weisinger so that the <i>status quo</i> can be maintained.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I think the reason I still remember this story and how it made me feel when I read it back in 1964 is that once again, it's about emotions. Supergirl's feeling of loss when she believes her real parents are dead, her feeling of hope when it seems possible that they have somehow survived, then the emotional dilemma she faces if her real parents and adoptive parents are living in the same world. I also found the scenes of the Argoans trying to survive quite affecting, especially the scenes of hopelessness when the meteor shower pierces the protective lead sheeting, exposing the Argo citizens to the deadly Kryptonite rays ...</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">To me, this all demonstrates that the stories that resonate with us and stay with us even decades later are always powered by emotion. I think this was something that Stan realised when he first started trying to craft better stories at Marvel. When DC published the occasional emotion-driven story it was by accident and even as Marvel began to outsell DC in the mid-1960s, the DC editors never made the connection, and continued to stick to their plot-driven tales for the rest of the decade, allowing Marvel to take the top spot and relegate the once mighty DC Comics to second place.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Trapped on live television, as the subject of the show "America's Greatest Heroes" Superman is unable to find someone to pose as Clark Kent, until help arrives from an unexpected quarter. Because, after all, if Superman can't trust the President of the United States, who can he trust? Tragically, President Kennedy was dead before this comic went on sale ...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One final coda ... </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Action Comics 309</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> also featured a Superman story where the tv show "Our American Heroes" wants to honour Superman, but as Superman's "best friend" Clark Kent is also on the guest list, Superman's in a bit of a bind. One by one, his solutions are removed until it seems like his identity will be compromised by Clark Kent's "no-show". Then - surprise - Clark shows up. How did he do it? The answer seems so obvious now, leading to one of the greatest final lines in a comic story ever ...</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Next: Of Marvel, Magic and Strange Tales</b></span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-31665680721082513762020-05-22T07:12:00.006-07:002021-11-25T13:38:30.985-08:00My Top Ten DCs of the Early 1960s: Part 1<span face=""><b>BEFORE I DISCOVERED MARVEL COMICS</b>, way back in the early 1960s, I confess that I was a regular user of DC Comics. It's not something I'm proud of, but the first step to recovery is admitting there's a problem, right?</span><br />
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<span face="">By the mid-sixties, I was a confirmed Marvel fan, but there's still a few DC Comics that I look back on fondly as a sort of guilty pleasure. And to make matters worse, most of the DCs in my Top Ten were hatched under the baleful eye of DC's Dark Overlord, Mort Weisinger. But in my own defence, I was about nine when I was reading this stuff ...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Here they are ... my Top Ten most fondly-remembered DC stories from the years before I became a confirmed Marvel fan. And I'm not necessarily referring to the cover stories. Intrigued? Read on ... <b>Click image to enlarge</b>.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Let me stress that I'm not saying these are the best National had to offer, just a list of DCs that still resonate with me - on an emotional level - more than 50 years later. If you want a list of The Best, then you'll need to look elsewhere. No "Flash of Two Worlds", "Robin Dies at Dawn" or "Superman Red, Superman Blue" here. I never "got" <i>The Doom Patrol</i>. I don't wish Jack Kirby had stayed on <i>Challengers of the Unknown</i>. And the war stories of Joe Kubert and Russ Heath completely passed me by.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>I think it's safe to say that these three are about the best DC stories of the early 1960s. Except, they're not </i>my <i>favourites. In fact, I don't think I ever read these stories at the time, with the possible exception of the </i>Superman <i>one. My tastes ran to some slightly more esoteric choices.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Over the course of a year or two - from 1964 to 1966 or so - I read fewer and fewer DCs and more and more Marvels, so by the back end of 1966 I'd pretty much left DC behind, returning only briefly around 1968 when a flurry of <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2016/10/some-dc-comics-of-1960s-i-did-like.html">interesting comics drawn by Steve Ditko and edited by Dick Giordano</a> caught my attention.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>The </i>DC Archives <i>are expensive, but beautifully produced. By contrast, the </i>DC Showcase Presents<i> series is cheap and cheerful and contains hours of reading material for a reasonable cost. Some DC material from the period doesn't hold up well - especially disappointing was Volume 4 of the </i>World's Finest <i>series that had some dreadful stories by Dennis O'Neill and Jim Shooter and unappealing art by Andru and Esposito.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">More recently, I've been seeking out inexpensive <i>DC Showcase Presents</i> volumes, and discovering that a great deal of DCs 1960s output was pretty terrible - whatever you do, stay away from <i>DC Showcase Present World's Finest Vol 4</i>, some of the worst dreck ever. But I also came across a few stories that instantly returned me to those hazy days of the early 1960s, where school holidays went on forever and the sun always shone ...</span><br />
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<span face="">So here, then - after a great deal of consideration and research - a handful of my absolute favourite DC tales of that early Silver Age period.</span><br />
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<span face="">10. WORLD'S FINEST 133 - "BEASTS OF THE SUPERNATURAL"</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>I have no recollection of where I bought this comic back in 1963, or whatever happened to it. I was certainly one of my first DCs and probably my first </i>World's Finest.</span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Back in the early 1960s, comics that featured team-ups of heroes were few and far between. One of the longest-running exceptions was <i>World's Finest</i>, which began running Superman-Batman team-up tales back in issue 71 (Jul 1954). Nearly ten years later, I came across a copy of <i>World's Finest 133</i> (May 1963), which featured a rare magical foe for Superman and Batman, "Beasts of the Supernatural".</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Yes, the monsters seem especially goofy, but as an impressionable eight-year old, I thought they were pretty scary at the time. Though I wouldn't have known it in 1963, the whole set-up has the feel of an HP Lovecraft story, just not as well done.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Written by Editor Jack Schiff and drawn by the always reliable Jim Mooney, the story tells how an new radio telescope designed by Prof Bowles to gather radio waves from the constellation of Scorpio is unveiled to the public. Present are Clark (Superman) Kent, in his role as reporter for the Daily Planet, and Batman and Robin. It's not something that bothered me at the time, but my adult self senses some lazy plotting - there is absolutely no reason for the Dynamic Duo to be present. It's just so Schiff doesn't have to have Superman summon them later in the story. But why carp ... that's just how they wrote comics back then.</span><br />
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<span face="">The proceedings are interrupted when a Dr Gault rushes forward to warn everyone that they're tampering with Occult powers. The disgraced scientist explains to Clark that a sorcerer Jazub once banished three supernatural monsters to the constellation of Scorpio, and Dr Gault fears that the radio telescope will release the creatures on Earth. And he'd be right.</span><br />
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<span face="">Superman dispatches the first monster pretty quickly, after all this is only a 13-page story. Meanwhile, Batman and Robin are tackling a weird spikey crystal monster. Force doesn't work, as shattering the crystal creature in to pieces just produces five crystal creatures. Acting on a hunch, Batman has Robin ring the town's church bell and the vibrations reduce the crystal monsters to dust.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Once again, it's Batman who figures out what's going on. The monsters are genuine enough, but their reasons for being on Earth aren't. The bluff played out on the evil Dr Gault seemed pretty smart to me when I first read the story. Not for nothing is Batman called the World's Greatest Detective.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Batman and Superman then try to enlist Dr Gault's aid to get rid of the monsters. Gault thinks his computer may be able to recreate Jazub's original spell. Satisfied, Batman sets off in search of Prof Bowles, and arrives just in time to see him menaced by the magenta tornado creature. Even Superman can't stop the monster. Only when Bowles' fiancee Norah throws herself in front of Bowles is disaster averted. The creature suddenly skedaddles. This gives Batman the clue he needs, and in a cunningly contrived denouement, Batman forces Dr Gault to reveal his nefarious intentions ... to appear to be banishing the beasts he himself called forth, winning the admiration and gratitude of Norah and the world. These were simpler times, after all.</span><br />
<span face=""><br /></span><span face="">I think what I remember most about this story - and others like it at the time - was just how goofy the designs of the monsters were. And it's not just poor old Jim Mooney. There were other DC artists who were just as incapable of drawing a decent monster. For example, while I was reading some <i>DC Showcase Presents</i> volumes recently, I came across another monster design that was uncannily similar to the Crystal Creatures in "Beasts of the Supernatural". </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eWqRisoja3A/XrkhvXxuqhI/AAAAAAAAFiI/NfEiSH_vr5MhUEdLt4022Bw7K9MJljmSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Monster_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="1200" height="175" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eWqRisoja3A/XrkhvXxuqhI/AAAAAAAAFiI/NfEiSH_vr5MhUEdLt4022Bw7K9MJljmSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Monster_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Left: </i>World's Finest 133<i> - Crystal creatures that resemble sea-mines threaten Batman and Robin in a story scripted by editor Jack Schiff and Drawn by Jim Mooney. Right: </i>World's Finest 108<i> - Spherical spikey critters that also resemble sea-mines menace Batman and Robin in a story written by Jerry Coleman and Drawn by Dick Sprang.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">In <i>World's Finest 108</i> (Mar 1960), which also pitted Superman and Batman against oddball otherworldly monsters, there were spikey globe monsters that also menaced Batman and Robin ... this time drawn by Dick Sprang. Coincidence? Editor Jack Schiff designing the monsters himself and handling sketches to the artists to follow? We'll never know.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-BLjYTkYQE/XrlfWRYgt3I/AAAAAAAAFiU/ADarbhpI5V8ixkTsJLAuCjxFQhLCsdUTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/wf133_ArrowAquaman_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1200" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-BLjYTkYQE/XrlfWRYgt3I/AAAAAAAAFiU/ADarbhpI5V8ixkTsJLAuCjxFQhLCsdUTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/wf133_ArrowAquaman_montage.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>The Green Arrow stories by Lee Elias and the Aquaman tales by the brilliant Ramona Fradon were always a welcome bonus in these old </i>World's Finest Comics<i>. Even after all this time, the sight of these b-features gave me a surge of nostalgic </i>deja-vu.</span></td></tr>
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<span face="">The other point that struck me while flicking through the pages of <i>World's Finest 133</i> was how familiar the backup stories seemed to me. I have a clear memory of the splash page of the Green Arrow story. The giant burrowing machine that smashes through the walls of the Arrowcave brought back a flood of memories, and I was struck by how similar that machine was to another DC Comics machine I'd seen recently from the same era (see "Outcasts of Infinity", JLA 25, Feb 1964).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLzeDfHtOys/XrlhGDUkukI/AAAAAAAAFig/m4PLCUonPOsEA_eR7bVR7tQWRoqiJjm0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/wf133_MetalMen-BB-Ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1200" height="275" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLzeDfHtOys/XrlhGDUkukI/AAAAAAAAFig/m4PLCUonPOsEA_eR7bVR7tQWRoqiJjm0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/wf133_MetalMen-BB-Ad.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>As much as I wanted that first issue of </i>Metal Men<i>, I also really wanted to read the </i>Brave and the Bold<i> issue featuring the boxing "Strange Sports" story. Which was weird, because as a kid, I was never really much interested in sports.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">And the house ads in that issue ... how I wanted that <i>Metal Men</i> comic. Just the title - "Rain of the Missile Men" - and the desperate situation depicted on the cover - made me long for that comic more than anything. I never did find a copy, though, and it would be another fifty years before I'd read that story in my <i>Metal Men Archives Volume 1</i>. But it's just not the same thing as having the comic, is it? As gorgeous as the <i>Archives</i> are, they don't have the house ads, the letters pages, or the ads for "204 Revolutionary War Soldiers" ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c5VGOl7pdo8/Xrlj0DwYjoI/AAAAAAAAFis/fAu3arfC73YDnQgBCAkRodmnkJMmc7urgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/wf133_AdPages.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c5VGOl7pdo8/Xrlj0DwYjoI/AAAAAAAAFis/fAu3arfC73YDnQgBCAkRodmnkJMmc7urgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/wf133_AdPages.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Did anyone else desperately want to own these impossibly exotic toys? Even at "$1.98" - whatever that was in real money - they seemed like an incredible bargain. I'm sure the reality was a lot different. I've seen reports that the "Polaris Submarine" that "sat two kids" was actually a cardboard box.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Even at this point, <i>World's Finest</i>, and the Batman titles in general, were floundering. Probably because of stories that were filled with daft aliens and ever-more implausible situations. Within a year, the title would be taken from Schiff and handed to DC's Dark Overlord Mort Weisinger. Weisinger would get rid of the revolving door of writers and dispense with the services of Jim Mooney, instead commissioning stories from Ed Hamilton and art from Curt Swann and George Klein. The Green Arrow and Aquaman back-up tales were also gone and instead the space was given over to reprints, a sure sign that costs were being cut.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face="">9. HOUSE OF SECRETS 64 - "THE THREAT OF THE HORRIBLE HEX"</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3t_GQjhia6Q/XrlnEeowJbI/AAAAAAAAFi4/mnTPn03MHB4BBK6hN_Qny1G9QOJ60zXWACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/09_HoS064_01-64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3t_GQjhia6Q/XrlnEeowJbI/AAAAAAAAFi4/mnTPn03MHB4BBK6hN_Qny1G9QOJ60zXWACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/09_HoS064_01-64.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>To my young and impressionable mind, there was a ghastly "authenticity" about the magic and the barn runes in this Mark Merlin story. As a child of about nine, this tale positively terrified me ... but in a good way.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">That this comic is in my Top Ten is a bit unusual, in that it's not exactly a superhero story. My memory tells me that it was among the earliest DC Comics I ever read, but the cover date doesn't bear that out. By 1964, I would have been fully immersed in the <i>Superman Family</i> titles along with <i>Flash</i> and <i>Green Lantern</i>, so it seems strange to me now that I'd have been interested in a "horror comic". Yet, here it is.</span><br />
<span face=""><br /></span>
<span face="">"The Threat of the Horrible Hex" is a 12-page Mark Merlin story with a script by Arnold Drake and art by the great Mort Meskin. The character was created by Meskin and first appeared in <i>House of Secrets 23</i> (Aug 1959), running for six years until <i>HoS 73</i> (Jul 1965). The first few years' worth of stories went largely uncredited, but the consensus is that Jack Miller did most of the scripting. These earliest tales appeared to be science fiction-oriented, with lots of plots about alien creatures and other dimensions. Then, around issue 56 (Sep 1962), Editor Jack Schiff was off the book, so new editor Murray Boltinoff brought in Arnold Drake as writer, and the stories took on a more supernatural focus. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XP10cusIKtU/XrrRDJDbgjI/AAAAAAAAFjQ/HGdHsgFWBf0S22ZUIUyN7sl6chYHWG0lQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/09_HoS064_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XP10cusIKtU/XrrRDJDbgjI/AAAAAAAAFjQ/HGdHsgFWBf0S22ZUIUyN7sl6chYHWG0lQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/09_HoS064_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Mark Merlin was one of DC's few magician characters that merited their own series. In fact, the character headlined </i>House of Secrets<i>, both in his Mark Merlin and Prince Ra-Man reincarnation, through to issue 80 (Sep 1966), a run of seven years.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">The story concerns some arcane symbols, painted on a Pennsylvania barn, that preserve the spirits of a trio of three hundred year-old sorcerers. Their curse threatens each generation of a local family on their 25th birthday. Mark Merlin is called in to help and magically takes on the curse himself. Thus, the scene is set for Mark Merlin to battle the malevolent spirits and deduce the secret of the symbols painted in the barn wall.</span><br />
<span face=""><br /></span>
<span face="">I think what creeped me out about this story when I was a kid was that the feel of it was sort of <i>Authentic</i> and <i>Believable</i>. What I couldn't know at the time was that such symbols <i>were</i> to be found painted on the walls of barns throughout the "Pennsylvania Dutch" region of the United States, and that they had a supernatural meaning to the locals.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PmBAnc24QU/XrrTJh0XRGI/AAAAAAAAFjc/3Nfm1xMmGt4r_HqxWzBjFOuQiFhKbCjJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hexes_in_Oley_Penn_1941.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1009" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PmBAnc24QU/XrrTJh0XRGI/AAAAAAAAFjc/3Nfm1xMmGt4r_HqxWzBjFOuQiFhKbCjJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Hexes_in_Oley_Penn_1941.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>This picture, from 1941, shows a barn in Oley Township, Pennsylvania, painted with hexes to ward off evil spirits. It's likely that the locals would have renewed the paint, as these hexes look pretty fresh for something that would have first been painted in the 17th Century.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">There's also the magic spell that Mark Merlin chants when he's lifting the curse from the young victim. I'm sure it's just gibberish, but to this then-nine-year old it felt a great deal more real than the usual "backwards talking with the force am I" schtick used by Zatanna and other DC magicians.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLf3BNp7Y6w/XruIfcDoOqI/AAAAAAAAFjo/--P82pcX4T8qgNTLcYY_uYn_iDMGoKdFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/09_HoS064_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nLf3BNp7Y6w/XruIfcDoOqI/AAAAAAAAFjo/--P82pcX4T8qgNTLcYY_uYn_iDMGoKdFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/09_HoS064_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Mark Merlin uses his magical powers of spell casting and levitation to battle the spirits of the long-dead sorcerers. But it's the sudden appearance of victim Henrietta Von Haltz's ancestor Josef that really brings victory (just a thought, but if they're supposed to be Dutch, shouldn't it be "Van Haltz"?)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Of course, our hero figures the whole thing out and is able to call forth the spirit of the girl-victim's ancestor to help battle the evil, sorcerous spirits and the day is saved, the victim is spared and everything ends in a splendid conflagration. And how about that cool house ad of <i>Brave and the Bold 51</i> taking up the last third of the final story page?</span><br />
<span face=""><br /></span>
<span face="">But as big an impression as this made on me back in 1964, I never did follow-up and seek out other Mark Merlin adventures. Later, I would read and enjoy the works of HP Lovecraft, and recognise that there was more than a little of his <i>ouevre</i> mixed into Arnold Drake's Mark Merlin scripts ... not a bad thing, and it certainly gave this story a genuinely eldritch feel.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb1BnzabKgg/Xr1w5aIMV3I/AAAAAAAAFj4/2NrlmUgHM_Ai0e6XPJGzikOhYmO5MBbXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/09_HoS064_montage03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1600" height="178" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb1BnzabKgg/Xr1w5aIMV3I/AAAAAAAAFj4/2NrlmUgHM_Ai0e6XPJGzikOhYmO5MBbXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/09_HoS064_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>While Eclipso has never interested me as a character, the </i>House of Secrets 63-67<i> stories featured the awesome art stylings of the legendary Alex Toth. From issue 68 on, the also-excellent Jack Sparling would take over, contributing a 13-issue run of deftly crafted tales.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">There were other attractions in this issue of <i>House of Secrets</i>. The most obvious was the back-up strip, featuring Eclipso. I do recall that I read a few Eclipso stories back in the early 1960s and didn't especially like them. But these would have been the later episodes drawn by Jack Sparling. In any event, at the age of nine, I wasn't really in a position to understand just how good Alex Toth was. Heck, I couldn't even tell one artist from another at that age. And later on, when I did understand that sort of thing a bit better, I would even come to <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2017/04/more-dc-comics-i-liked-in-1960s.html">appreciate what a great craftsman Jack Sparling</a> was.</span><br />
<span face=""><br /></span>
<span face="">There's also a couple of great house ads - a full page is given over to two 1964 annuals, <i>Batman Annual 6</i> and <i>Superman Annual 8</i> (both Win 1963-64), and there's a half page ad for <i>Tomahawk 90</i> and <i>Rip Hunter 18</i>. Back then I was never really much interested in adventure comics like <i>Rip Hunter</i>, but the 80-page annuals were a different matter. I would spend many hours tracking down as many of those as I could afford. I'll be talking about Annuals when we get to Number 4 in the chart ...</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face="">8. ACTION 301 - "THE SECRET IDENTITY OF SUPER-HORSE"</span></h3>
<span face="">It's only now, looking back, that I realise what a strange child I was. I never really liked DC's war comics. In fact, I can't recall ever reading one during the early 1960s. I much preferred the super-hero comics, especially Superboy, The Legion of Superheroes and Supergirl, possibly because they were closer to my own age. But reading those Supergirl stories now, they were clearly aimed at a female audience, with their focus on emotion rather than on action. In fact, they have a lot in common with the romance stories DC were publishing around the same time. And just in case we were in any doubt, editor Weisinger gave Supergirl a pony.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jyk6-x99H0c/Xr_KPTUZUdI/AAAAAAAAFkE/xs1gNfHn4jQkRCPMUld4QuHdl1agRsPOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Action293_10-62_600.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jyk6-x99H0c/Xr_KPTUZUdI/AAAAAAAAFkE/xs1gNfHn4jQkRCPMUld4QuHdl1agRsPOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Action293_10-62_600.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="">Action Comics 293<i> (Oct 1962) was the third appearance of Comet the Super-Horse. But reader reaction must have been positive for Weisinger to feature the creature on the front cover of the flagship DC title.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">Comet the Super-Horse had a bit of a shaky start, as though DC weren't sure what to do with him. He first appeared, sort of unannounced in <i>Adventure Comics 293</i> (Feb 1962), where he was enlisted by The Legion of Superheroes - along with the other super-pets - to battle some "Brain Globes" from outer space who could mentally control humans, but not animals. An editorial note helpfully tells readers that we are getting a glimpse into Supergirl's future life where she will have her own super-pony. That has to be every girl's dream, doesn't it?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ixu1qE5Xzgk/Xr_VKfxRsnI/AAAAAAAAFkQ/gTcPHw60KKgRRjyIr-7tzVH22d0wPA6XgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/08_Adv293_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ixu1qE5Xzgk/Xr_VKfxRsnI/AAAAAAAAFkQ/gTcPHw60KKgRRjyIr-7tzVH22d0wPA6XgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/08_Adv293_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="">Adventure Comics 293 <i>would be the first time readers would see the Legion of Super-Pets, and also the first appearance of Super-Horse, not named as "Comet" at this stage.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""></span><span face="">But it would take quite a few months before Editor Weisinger would bring back Super-Horse, probably more due to the lag in production time than due to any sloth on the part of ol' Uncle Mort. I've noted before that initial sales figures on comics wouldn't be available until six months after the on-sale date so, given the timing, it looks like the next appearance was actually rushed into production.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTlSU02evLM/Xr_rFcGxbzI/AAAAAAAAFkc/Xy1j2gqjZ3wsKamINVlKsZjSMxwLA8UyACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/08_Action292_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTlSU02evLM/Xr_rFcGxbzI/AAAAAAAAFkc/Xy1j2gqjZ3wsKamINVlKsZjSMxwLA8UyACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/08_Action292_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>The return of Super-horse was an elaborate, three-part epic in the back half of </i>Action Comics<i>, running from issues 292 to 294, quite an unusual move for DC at the time, as they rarely offered continuing stories. Full of ridiculous coincidences, prophetic dreams and alien invasions, the stories were a weird hybrid of girls' romance and superhero action.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""><i>Action Comics 292</i> (Sep 1962) gave us the Supergirl back-up story, "The Steed of Steel", and brought Kara and Comet together for the first time. The super-stallion merely appears to Supergirl in dreams for most of the story, though she notices the strange marking on his shoulder and names him Comet. But, towards the end of the tale, Linda Danvers visits a dude ranch with her parents and actually meets the real Comet, complete with the same strange markings as the super-horse in her dreams. It's the sort of implausible coincidence that most of the stories from the Weisinger machine were based on. Except that ... since Comet has telepathic powers, it was he who was planting the dreams of himself in Linda (Supergirl) Danver's head, as we would find out, next issue.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-glfYNIGVlBA/Xr_yWTKoTiI/AAAAAAAAFko/y_f2tfO9pA0LgqGbbwt2c5K5HDJm0jD4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/08_Action293_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-glfYNIGVlBA/Xr_yWTKoTiI/AAAAAAAAFko/y_f2tfO9pA0LgqGbbwt2c5K5HDJm0jD4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/08_Action293_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>The extraordinary origin of Super-Horse is told in </i>Action Comics 293<i> - a credulity-stretching tale of centaurs, ancient sorceresses and magic gone wrong. Just the sort of thing Mort Weisinger and his scripter Leo Dorfman excelled at. Artist Jim Mooney manages to tell the tall tale with his usual mixture of craftsmanship and dignity.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">The story continues in the very next Supergirl adventure, "The Secret Origin of Supergirl's Super-Horse", in <i>Action Comics 293</i> (Oct 1962). Starting with Linda Danvers and her parents still at the due ranch run by Mr Greede, Supergirl and Comet bond with a bit of shoe-ing and branding, then go for a ride where Comet reveals that he is both telepathic and formerly a centaur named Biron. As half-man half-horse, he admired the beautiful sorceress Circe from afar and one day chanced to save her life from a jealous rival. In gratitude, Circe had intended to transform Biron into a man, but the evil rival sorcerer messed with the potion and hapless Biron was instead changed into a horse. To try to make up for the error, Circe conferred the powers and immortality of the gods upon him. So it turns out that Comet is in fact thousands of years old and not Super in the Kryptonian sense. At the end of this second part, Comet is sold to a Hollywood animal trainer for a thousand dollars by Mr Greede, so we end on a bit of a cliff-hanger.</span><br />
<span face=""><br /></span>
<span face="">The epic adventure wraps up in the following issue of <i>Action Comics</i> when Comet, in his new career as a Hollywood super-star, loses his memory of Supergirl, and forgets he ever had super-powers. Nothing Supergirl does seems to restore Comet's memory and readers are left waiting for some future issue to resolve the dangling plot thread.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mo10RdTRAXY/Xr_9o7lbKoI/AAAAAAAAFk0/AjQBe8q7c4QGrwQXAFJ9HuhqkUSILRRJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/08_Action301_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mo10RdTRAXY/Xr_9o7lbKoI/AAAAAAAAFk0/AjQBe8q7c4QGrwQXAFJ9HuhqkUSILRRJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/08_Action301_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>This odd mix of sorcery and sci-fi has Comet transformed into a man, and saving a non-powered Supergirl on the planet Zerox. The second half of the tale has Supergirl meeting Comet in his human form, as rodeo rider "Bronco Bill".</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="">All of which is a long pre-amble into the actual subject of this chart entry. <i>Action Comics 301</i> (Jun 1963), featuring the Supergirl supporting story, "The Secret Identity of Super-Horse". Comet had his memory returned in the previous issue, <i>Action Comics 300</i>, but I hadn't read that story back in 1963. And in fact, I hadn't known about Comet's amnesia until I did the research for this blog entry. Issue 301 is where I came in, and for some reason, the romantic nature of the tale appealed to me as a nine-year-old. The plot has Supergirl and Super-Horse despatched to the sorcery planet Zerox (yep!), to pay back an old debt to its ruler, Prince Endor. Under Zerox's red sun, Supergirl will have no powers, but as Comet will, she should be safe enough. The mission is successful and a grateful prince offers Comet his own choice of reward. Comet's wish is to be human. The Prince grants this, but only when a Comet is in the heavens will Super-Horse become an ordinary human. Back on Earth, Comet is transformed into a man by a handy passing comet, and decides to keep this part of his life secret from Supergirl. But Supergirl - led to a rodeo by friend Lena Thorul's ESP powers - fails to recognise "Bronco Bill" as Comet, despite a suspiciously similar "birthmark" on the man's shoulder.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2UXDkeXyKF8/XsFAS2qIHAI/AAAAAAAAFlA/xpR8QcH7CUwuNmfQzUrfHOwl6vTuaKAJgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/08_Action301_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2UXDkeXyKF8/XsFAS2qIHAI/AAAAAAAAFlA/xpR8QcH7CUwuNmfQzUrfHOwl6vTuaKAJgCPcBGAYYCw/s400/08_Action301_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Weisinger and his scripter Leo Dorfman managed to pack more plot into eleven and a half pages than most modern writers could squeeze into a year's worth of comics. It's not necessarily the best approach to creating comics, but at least readers got their 12 cents-worth.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="">Bill's uncanny abilities as a horseman earn him the title of "King of the Rodeo" and Supergirl is named Queen, leading to a ceremonial kiss between the two. Finally, after Supergirl has left, the comet finishes its pass of the Earth and Bill begins to transform back to a horse, momentarily appearing as a centaur. Despite being captured by rustlers, once fully back in his guise as Super-Horse, Comet easily escapes and when next they meet, Supergirl is none the wiser about Comet's extra ability.</span><br />
<span face=""><br /></span><span face="">Hokey though all this is, it's surprising to me that I remember this story some fifty-odd years after I read it. It stands out in my memory far better than the Superman tale that preceded it in this issue of <i>Action Comics</i>. In fact, reading the entire book again, I had no memory of the Superman story at all (something about Superman being on trial for murdering Clark Kent). <br /></span>
<span face=""><br /></span><span face="">"The Secret Identity of Super-Horse" wasn't the best tale to come out of the Weisinger stable, but a worthy number eight in my DC favourites chart.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face="">7. SUPERBOY 98 - "THE BOY WITH ULTRA POWERS"</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zCUPjI6jXr8/XsFEi4jzvwI/AAAAAAAAFlM/NukN15X2J9Ysqo7o_JTtllQ7vrysLRQ5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/07_Superboy098-117_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1200" height="277" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zCUPjI6jXr8/XsFEi4jzvwI/AAAAAAAAFlM/NukN15X2J9Ysqo7o_JTtllQ7vrysLRQ5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/07_Superboy098-117_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Though I'm including two covers here, the story that I will be covering in this section is the first one, the first appearance of Ultra Boy in </i>Superboy 98<i> (Jul 1962). The cover on the right is the one I thought I'd be talking about.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">It's funny how your memory can play tricks on you. I have a strong memory of the first time I saw Ultra Boy, later to be a key member of the Legion of Superheroes. It involved him travelling back to Smallville - sometime in the late 1940s from the look of the cars and the fashions - to discover the secret identity of Superboy. The story actually happened in <i>Superboy 98</i> (Jul 1962), but before I did the research for this piece, I would have sworn up and down that the incident actually happened in <i>Superboy 117</i> (Dec 1964), just because I remember that cover so well.</span><br />
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<span face="">The plot of the story has Ultra Boy, and an older guy in a similar uniform, showing up in Smallville with the stated intent of discovering Superboy's secret identity. We're led to believe that the pair have some sinister intent. Also in the mix is Pete Ross, a schoolmate of Clark's who secretly knows Superboy's identity. That's pretty much it.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EPdXDNvwQHQ/XsK9jViwJsI/AAAAAAAAFlg/VUU3eqS-e2QUvl3oO2Ah36MzGbKftPfJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/07_Superboy098_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EPdXDNvwQHQ/XsK9jViwJsI/AAAAAAAAFlg/VUU3eqS-e2QUvl3oO2Ah36MzGbKftPfJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/07_Superboy098_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>In </i>Superboy 98,<i> writer Jerry Siegel (probably with the blessing of Mort Weisinger) misleads readers into thinking that Ultra Boy has sinister intent when he declares his mission is to discover Superboy's secret identity. However, this also seems to be an error, as I believe Superboy/man's identity is a matter of historical record in the 30th Century. A cheat or a mistake ... you decide.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="">The main reason I remember the story so well is because I instantly liked Ultra Boy as a character, though he wasn't fully thought-out in this tale. Later, the writers would limit his powers by allowing him to only use them one at a time. That way, he wouldn't upstage Superboy. By the end of the 13 pages, it's revealed that Ultra Boy is undergoing his initiation test to join the Legion of Superheroes. Interestingly, Ultra Boy also figures out that Pete Ross is guarding Superboy's secret, and as a reward for being such a good friend, he's invited to join the Legion as an honorary member. In later issues of <i>Adventure Comics</i>, we'd see Pete attending meetings. Yet Superboy never questions his presence. I don't know whether that plot-hole was ever resolved.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMdwXt_UtJE/XsQL86N5ppI/AAAAAAAAFls/Fmz3q-1T8VAERTDD2JWTzoJDtvMxLJilwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/07_Superboy117_pg17.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMdwXt_UtJE/XsQL86N5ppI/AAAAAAAAFls/Fmz3q-1T8VAERTDD2JWTzoJDtvMxLJilwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/07_Superboy117_pg17.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>"Now remember ... whatever you do, DON'T mention that I'm secretly Superboy. Got that?" A slightly odd example of discontinuity in </i>Superboy 117<i>, where Ultra Boy and all his Legion chums seem to already know Superboy's big secret.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="">The other possible error is that in the later Ultra Boy story, in <i>Superboy 117</i> - also written by Jerry Siegel - we see Superboy cheerily wave to his Legion friends, admonishing them to be careful not to give away his secret identity. It's possible that a Legion story established this over in <i>Adventure Comics</i>, between the two <i>Superboy</i> tales, but I'm just now re-reading those Legion stories and I didn't notice any mention of Superboy revealing his Clark Kent persona to the Legionaires, so I'm assuming it's taught in school history lessons in the 30th Century.</span>
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<span face=""><br /></span><span face="">Nonetheless, an entertaining example of Silver Age silliness from the House of Weisinger, despite the cavalier approach to continuity.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face="">6. ADVENTURE 306 - "THE LEGION OF SUBSTITUTE HEROES"</span></h3>
<span face="">For some reason, this story really resonated with me. Because I was a bit nerdy and read "horror comics", a certain contingent of my classmates went out of their way to make me feel like some sort of outcast ... not quite good enough to mix with regular folks. This would have been at primary school around this 1963 - 1964 period.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A80rv2zI6z8/XsQRYptSbEI/AAAAAAAAFl4/nue2ofUCxaIy5zOlYv8HfGxYqebQVyYywCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/06_Adv306_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1300" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A80rv2zI6z8/XsQRYptSbEI/AAAAAAAAFl4/nue2ofUCxaIy5zOlYv8HfGxYqebQVyYywCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/06_Adv306_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>One of my favourite Legion of Super-Heroes tales ever was hidden in the back of </i>Adventure Comics 306<i> as a back-up feature. Though it rated a mention on the cover, in my view it should have been the cover story.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">So when I read this tale of a group of super-heroes who "weren't quite good enough" to be accepted into the mighty Legion, I immediately identified with them. The thing is, though ... I didn't think they were "not quite good enough" at all. In fact, I thought they had some pretty cool powers. So, there's:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span face=""><span face="">Polar Boy (billed as "Polar Lad" in error on the front cover) - has the power to lower the temperature and freeze stuff. He does pre-date The X-Men's Iceman by half a year, though Marvel takes quite a different approach to the idea.</span></span></li>
<li><span face=""><span face="">Night Girl - Ah, Night Girl. Readers of my earlier blog entries will know how I felt (and still feel) about girls with raven hair. But I digress. Night Girl has super-strength when not in contact with daylight.</span></span></li>
<li><span face=""><span face="">Fire Lad - Is able to breathe fire, so probably should have been called Dragon Lad. Doesn't rate a mention on the cover.</span></span></li>
<li><span face=""><span face="">Chlorophyll Kid - Has the ability to make plants grow super-fast.</span></span></li>
<li><span face=""><span face="">Stone Boy - Can turn his body to stone. Unfortunately, can't move when in that state.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span face="">The story - script by Ed Hamilton, art by John Forte - has a few hopefuls trying out for Legion membership, and all are rejected. A small group of the unsuccessful candidates meet outside the Legion clubhouse and decide to form their own Legion of Substitute Heroes, so they can help out when the Legion proper is not available.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kpGExtV_sjA/XsakAKEVsQI/AAAAAAAAFmE/9oG37Ko2BsguSp0yCvo2cc6nNAISkfi0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/06_Adv306_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kpGExtV_sjA/XsakAKEVsQI/AAAAAAAAFmE/9oG37Ko2BsguSp0yCvo2cc6nNAISkfi0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/06_Adv306_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>There's a vibe going on with the Legion of Substitute Heroes that reminds me of the X-Men. They all outcasts, shunned by those they most want acceptance from. They both have a frosty guy and both the female members are the most powerful.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">The Substitute Heroes monitor for disasters where they can step in, but Legion members always seem to get to the danger zone first. It's a disheartening experience. But when the main Legion is wrong-footed by alien invaders, the Substitutes manage to thwart a backdoor invasion of Earth without the Legion of Super-Heroes knowing they've been helped. The tale ends with the Substitutes watching and waving at the Legion's victory parade. It's a kind of strange ending. By working quietly in the background, and not taking any credit for fear of detracting from the fame and prestige of the original Legion, it makes the Substitutes appear to be better human beings than the Legion themselves.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHrgw64Eut8/XsateWVml6I/AAAAAAAAFmQ/ilkwA-AtMRcCWftJ0tJO7QVjnZzidupggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/06_Adv315_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHrgw64Eut8/XsateWVml6I/AAAAAAAAFmQ/ilkwA-AtMRcCWftJ0tJO7QVjnZzidupggCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/06_Adv315_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>In a later appearance, the Substitutes were offered another shot at Legion membership. Yet, by this time, their family bond was so strong, none would leave their comrades behind. That resonated with me, even as a nine-year-old, as being properly heroic. It made the actual Legion look bad, I thought.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face="">The Legion of Substitute Heroes would return, first in <i>Adventure Comics 311</i> (Aug 1963) and <i>313</i> (Oct 1963), then in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Adventure 315</i><span face=""> (Dec 1963), where they were once again allowed to try-out for The Legion. Only one made it, and they rejected The Legion's offer so they could remain with their Substitute chums. See what I mean about the Substitutes having more integrity than the actual Legion?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EMiF9Fm_LPQ/XsawM6fqk5I/AAAAAAAAFmc/P6t6-AiMorsX_yoZdpe4nILVokniDmKzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/06_NightGirl_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1200" height="282" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EMiF9Fm_LPQ/XsawM6fqk5I/AAAAAAAAFmc/P6t6-AiMorsX_yoZdpe4nILVokniDmKzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/06_NightGirl_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>One of my favourite heroines of the early 1960s ... the incomparable Night Girl, far and away the best aspect of the Legion of Substitute Heroes.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="">A big plus for me during these early years of the Legion was the art of John Forte. Something of a figure of fun for some fans, because of his "stiff" figure drawing, I always thought it was Forte's art that <i>made</i> these early Legion stories. </span><br />
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<span face="">John Robert Forte Jr (pronounced "Fort") was born 6 Oct 1918 in Rockway Beach, Queens NY, and got in to comics in 1941, after a couple of years as a pulp illustrator, beginning with a few jobs for Timely, pencilling Destroyer stories in <i>All-Winners 5</i> (Summer 1942) and <i>Mystic 10</i> (Aug 1942). Later in 1942, Forte drew a few stories for Dell, before joining the US Army and serving in Europe for the duration. Honorably discharged in late 1945, with the Conspicuous Service Medal, he soon joined the Iger Studio, and started a long run on Fiction House titles, such as <i>Jungle</i> and <i>Fight</i>. Towards the end of the 1940s, Forte added Quality Comics to his client roster, also through the Iger Studio, contributing artwork to <i>Modern Comics</i> and <i>Blackhawk</i>. As the 1950s rolled round, Forte began to widen his horizons, selling artwork to Avon and Wanted Comics. In 1951 John Forte drew the newspaper comic strip, <i>South Sea Girl</i>, for Phoenix Features Syndicate.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zITDmG7vzwM/XsblXDq2QZI/AAAAAAAAFmo/Z2eiDZlTs0I5R6UWSIsZuMf_L42xgMBwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JohnForte.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="387" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zITDmG7vzwM/XsblXDq2QZI/AAAAAAAAFmo/Z2eiDZlTs0I5R6UWSIsZuMf_L42xgMBwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/JohnForte.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""><i>Criticised by some fans for his curious "frozen" style of art, Forte was an accomplished and versatile artist, drawing romance, westerns and horror - as well as his better-known super-hero tales. Forte gave the early Legion of Super-Heroes a distinctive polished, and rather attractive, look. He drew especially gorgeous girls, probably due to his years of experience on romance titles for DC.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face="">By 1953, Forte was working for Atlas/Marvel, drawing stories for a wide variety of Stan Lee's books - like <i>Strange Tales</i>, <i>Uncanny Tales</i> and <i>Journey into Mystery</i>. Quality went out of business in 1956, and Forte focused on drawing for Martin Goodman's Atlas Comics. But in 1957, the <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-were-silver-age-marvels-so-much.html#implosion">great Atlas Implosion</a> meant that Forte had lost his most important customer. Barely missing a beat, Forte switched to DC, and began drawing romance tales, beginning with <i>Girls' Love Stories</i>, then progressing on to <i>Heart Throbs</i> and <i>Secret Hearts</i>. At the same time, Forte also began drawing for ACG on titles like <i>Forbidden Worlds</i> and <i>Adventures into the Unknown</i>. Forte toiled away on DC romances for over three years, augmenting his income selling a lot of material to second-tier publisher ACG. Then, in 1961, he got a break and was assigned a story by DC's Dark Overlord, Mort Weisinger, in <i>Superman 143</i> (Feb 1961). Within a couple of months, Forte had his first regular DC gig ... Tales of Bizarro World, starting in <i>Adventure Comics 285</i> (Jun 1961) and running to issue 299 (Aug 1962). But the cancellation of the series didn't bother Forte. The very next issue, he started as the regular artist on Legion of Superheroes, and continued to draw The Legion until his death from cancer on 2 May 1966. He was 47. His last Legion story was in <i>Adventure Comics 339</i> (Dec 1965).</span><br />
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<span face="">The Substitute Heroes would continue to appear, evolving with new members as it went, but for me, the original lineup was the best.</span><br />
<span face=""><br /></span><span face="">So ... once again, I've run out of time and space, so I'll need to leave the Top Five of my Ten Favourite DC Comics of the 1960s till next time.</span><br />
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<span face=""><b>Next: They just get better and better</b></span>
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AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-7598501049594085202020-04-12T02:39:00.009-07:002023-05-16T00:34:10.267-07:00Exposed: Myths of Marvel's Silver Age - Part 3<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>THERE'S ONE LAST MYTH</b> of the Marvel Silver Age I want to look at before I put the subject to rest. It has been reported many times, by many historians, that Marvel's sales figures didn't match DC's until the beginning of the 1970s. And that <i>could</i> be true. But in my researches for this blog, I have come across some data that throws some doubt on the commonly reported story.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-koAJvq5KDs0/XoYjhBHCr7I/AAAAAAAAFc8/i3nSrNnKIeMPFtObTRh-3YL5GGdaXh_FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Marty_Carmine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-koAJvq5KDs0/XoYjhBHCr7I/AAAAAAAAFc8/i3nSrNnKIeMPFtObTRh-3YL5GGdaXh_FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Marty_Carmine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Legend has it that Marvel publisher Martin Goodman brilliantly out-manoeuvred DC Publisher Carmine Infantino, by first raising, then dropping, the cover price of the standard Marvel comicbook. The truth is a less dramatic tale of corporate interference and incompetence.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then, when I looked a little deeper into the circumstances of Marvel's ascendency - that of a brilliant and effective subterfuge on the part of Marvel publisher Martin Goodman - I began to have some misgivings about the accuracy of the legend as it's been reported over the decades ...</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">THE DC vs MARVEL SALES WAR</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The story I've read in many different histories of American comics is that Marvel finally overtook DC in sales after a Machiavellian trick by Marvel publisher Martin Goodman. This story has been reported on WIKIpedia (mis-quoting Les Daniels' <i>Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics</i>) and in Sean Howe's </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Marvel: The Untold Story</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (HarperCollins, 2012), among others.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As 1971 drew to a close, publisher Martin Goodman initiated an ingenious sales strategy," wrote Daniels, "a complicated series of changes in the size and price of the standard color comic book, that gave Marvel a commanding lead in overall circulation ... in November1971 the standard comic book price jumped to twenty-five cents. Rival DC made the same change simultaneously ... after only one month of the new prices, in December 1971 Marvel dropped back to thirty-six pages at the price of twenty cents ... Goodman [was able] to offer a larger percentage of the retail price to his wholesale distributors. As a result .... circulation increased."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Martin Goodman hatched a devious plan to conquer DC once and for all," wrote Howe. "When Marvel and DC agreed to hike the price of comics ... their handshake deal called for the books to expand from 36 to 52 pages - but at a whopping 25 cents apiece. But after a month, Goodman immediately cut back to fewer pages at 20 cents, and offered newsstand proprietors a bigger cut of the profits, ensuring that Marvel would get better rack space. The slow-footed DC tried to make a go of their higher-price, thicker comics, but they took a bath on the manoeuvre, and by the time they crawled back to the 20 cent price point, they'd lost the battle and the war. For the first time in its history, Marvel Comics was the number-one comic book company in the world."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The <i>Great American Novel</i> website even adds a reason why DC stuck at 25 cents for a year: "In October 1971 Marvel used a sneaky trick: they raised their page count and price. DC heard in advance and did the same. But DC had to buy their paper a year in advance so were locked into the higher page count. The next month Marvel dropped their pages and prices again, while DC had to keep theirs high. For the whole year Marvel grabbed market share, kept a lot of it even after DC went back to normal."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The problem is that almost none of the above is true. Here's some reasons why I have issues with that story:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Martin Goodman didn't hatch the plan, Independent News did.</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">DC raised its page count and price first, with the August cover-dated issues (on sale June). Marvel raised their price on the November cover-dated issues (on sale July)</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">DC and Marvel having a handshake deal to raise prices across the board is anti-competitive and highly illegal. It's conceivable that Goodman might've agreed to something like that but I don't think corporate DC would have</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Even if DC did buy their paper for the year ahead, it seems unlikely that the corporate leaders of Kinney would allow DC to continue on such a suicidal path, just to save a few bucks by bulk buying.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_OclnD9zAA/XoCsTCq04uI/AAAAAAAAFcw/Htc02fOU4Ws1YIDexunLXEQHgGpco9nkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Marvel25c_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_OclnD9zAA/XoCsTCq04uI/AAAAAAAAFcw/Htc02fOU4Ws1YIDexunLXEQHgGpco9nkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Marvel25c_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Here's some of the more obscure Marvels that went to 25 cents for just one 52-page issue (a couple lasted two issues) around November 1971. There's a full list further down the page.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If any of the "historians", who have parroted the above tale way too many times over the years, had done even the most cursory research, they would have found plenty of evidence to discredit the claims.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">According to Carmine Infantino, who was DC's publisher at the time, the idea to raise the price for more pages "... was Independent News' idea. They made that decision ... When we went to 25 cents, we gave the distributor a 40% discount. Marvel goes in and cuts the price 20% and gives the distributor 50% off. They were throwing our books back in our face! The price structure was set up by [Paul] Wendell [National's President], [Mark] Inglesias [Kinney's accountant], and [Harold] Chamberlin [who ran Independent News]."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--vkaTO0um4M/XoiAO0I55zI/AAAAAAAAFdI/G8LP1t9D1AsFz7Ef1XTyvcfVmKANBDw0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DC25c_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--vkaTO0um4M/XoiAO0I55zI/AAAAAAAAFdI/G8LP1t9D1AsFz7Ef1XTyvcfVmKANBDw0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/DC25c_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>DC Comics, on the other hand, went to 52-pages for 25 cents with the August 1971 cover-dated issues. Here's a selection of some of the lesser-known DC titles that came out at the new price that August.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So, not Martin Goodman's idea at all. One bit of the above story that <i>is</i> true is that Goodman offered a bigger cut of the cover price to his distributors (in his account Daniels calls them "wholesale distributors" - said no one who worked in the publishing business <i>ever</i>). Fifty percent instead of forty percent.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Let me just break that down for you. Back in the day, when I worked at Marvel UK, the deal we had with Comag was that we got 50% of the cover price for each comic sold. Unsolds we didn't get anything for. Out of our half, we had to pay for editorial, production (neg films of the pages, etc) and printing. Out of the distributors' half, they paid for marketing (ha, right!), logistics (usually by truck) and gave the wholesalers 25% discount on copies sold. The wholesalers handled transport to the retailers and typically gave the newsagents 15% discount on copies sold. Those percentages might vary slightly depending on how good a negotiator you are.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That's for a Sale-or-Return model, common in the US and adopted pretty much across the board in the UK by the 1980s. So Martin Goodman's idea of giving the distributor 50% discount reverberated down the decades and was still affecting magazine distribution right into the 1990s, maybe even until now.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GfYIOGwa_X0/Xom8RBgIEOI/AAAAAAAAFdg/qCnI5p9j64g-Mqm6-oDOSwJJCiAjGad-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/newsstand-42nd-street-1960s.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="900" height="318" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GfYIOGwa_X0/Xom8RBgIEOI/AAAAAAAAFdg/qCnI5p9j64g-Mqm6-oDOSwJJCiAjGad-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/newsstand-42nd-street-1960s.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Space was always at a premium on most newsstands ... so much so that proprietors would prioritise the magazines they knew they could sell for the most profit. Sadly comics didn't count in that group and would often not even make it to the display racks.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">From the other end of the chain, the numbers of comics that ended up on the newsstand's spinner rack was usually determined by the local wholesaler. Depending on the size of the business, newsstand would be allocated a bundle of comics of a certain number of titles. The following month's allocation would be based on the returns from the previous month. The wholesaler would mix and match titles to achieve the best outcome for each newsstand. However, all that said, comics were a low-profit, high-volume venture, and often retailers (and sometimes wholesalers) wouldn't even bother to put the comics on sale, preferring to give rack-space to magazines that made them a higher profit.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But aside from all that, I keep coming back to the question, Why did DC Comics, market leader for over twenty years, decide to raise their cover price to 25 cents in the first place? For an answer to that, we need to go back to the beginning of the 1960s.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ATJ7jzfciPs/XoivOlaPoZI/AAAAAAAAFdU/IAYtAbmAxjkmEIyg4hDAhgy-4C5tvVWWACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TopSellers_1960.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="1600" height="132" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ATJ7jzfciPs/XoivOlaPoZI/AAAAAAAAFdU/IAYtAbmAxjkmEIyg4hDAhgy-4C5tvVWWACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/TopSellers_1960.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The top four sellers during 1960, according to the Statements of Ownership published in the magazines. The high number for </i>Dell Uncle Scrooge<i> is probably helped by the fact that as a quarterly, it stayed on the stands for three months. </i>Superman <i>and</i> Superboy<i> published eight issues a year, so had half the newsstand time of the Disney title.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">At that time, the big players in the comic book market were Dell, Archie and DC Comics. DC's top seller was <i>Superman</i>, at number three in sales charts, probably because of the <i>Adventures of Superman</i> that was still running on syndicate tv channels across America. (It was outsold by Dell's <i>Uncle Scrooge</i> and <i>Walt Disney's Comics and Stories</i>, both at around one million each.) <i>Batman</i> was in sixth place after <i>Superboy</i> and <i>Mickey Mouse</i>. Marvel - then not even identified by the "MC" box on the covers - barely cracked the top 50, with <i>Tales to Astonish</i> at number 43.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However, it's important to bear in mind that these were Statements, made by the publishers, to satisfy a demand of the US Post Office that the postal service was being used to distribute genuine publications that the customers had bought, and not junk mail that they hadn't, and so wouldn't qualify for second class post. No one checked whether the numbers were true or not. And some publishers didn't include the circulation figures in their Statements. Heck, DC didn't even print the Statements in their comics from 1963 - 1965. So those sales are a bit of a mystery.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffC4nUqh7Ng/Xom909PJMAI/AAAAAAAAFds/PkW6UfMCdLIFBmkeJt3RCuJQW4aF7OUDACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Archie127_pgCirc.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="720" height="122" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffC4nUqh7Ng/Xom909PJMAI/AAAAAAAAFds/PkW6UfMCdLIFBmkeJt3RCuJQW4aF7OUDACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Archie127_pgCirc.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Here's the Publisher's Statement from </i>Archie Comics 127<i> (Apr 1962), showing the "average number of copies of this publication sold or distributed, through the mails or otherwise, to paid subscribers during the 12 months preceding the date shown above was: 458,039." <b>Click image to enlarge.</b></i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And in an interview with <i>The Comic Book Artist 1</i> (Spr 1998), Charlton and DC editor Dick Giordano said, "I wouldn't take the Publisher's Statement numbers to church. I'm not sure where they came from but I'll tell you one thing I know for sure - because I can't get in trouble. At Charlton, they just made them up."</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However, even with those caveats in place, things were about to change.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o5UAL6upCwk/XonTtuGx3nI/AAAAAAAAFeE/VTDMiwOHp48wJI6kRi_aVDCLgYILm4oMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dells_15c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1304" height="176" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o5UAL6upCwk/XonTtuGx3nI/AAAAAAAAFeE/VTDMiwOHp48wJI6kRi_aVDCLgYILm4oMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Dells_15c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>For reasons unknown, Dell decided to raise the price of their comics by 50% in March 1961. They probably felt that their market share, and their 30 pages of comics with no-ads, was so strong that this wouldn't affect their sales, but as we will see, they had made a mistake.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The first change was that Dell raised their cover price in March 1961 - ironically, the same month that the Statement for 1960 was printed in - from 10 cents to 15 cents. A whopping 50% price-hike couldn't have gone down well with the little tykes who bought Disney and tv-tie in titles. The only rationale I can think of is that perhaps Dell believed their comics were a parental buy, and adults wouldn't see much of a problem in a five-cent bump. But they were wrong.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XMWdeUqVu-4/XonNcsoUNJI/AAAAAAAAFd4/TLKluaQJPjgMfLuPcyNgQYYqi3NZvZ5tgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TopSellers_1962.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="1600" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XMWdeUqVu-4/XonNcsoUNJI/AAAAAAAAFd4/TLKluaQJPjgMfLuPcyNgQYYqi3NZvZ5tgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/TopSellers_1962.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>DC's Superman family titles continued to rule the sales charts in 1962, holding the top four slots. Marvel's highest titles were </i>Life (Modelling) with Millie<i> and T</i>ales to Astonish.</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">By 1962, things get a little hazy. Dell didn't report figures at all, so we don't know how much the high cover price affected them at this point. <i>Superman</i> had lost 70,000 sales and <i>Superboy</i> 50,000, though they were still the top sellers. <i>Batman</i> had haemorrhaged 75,000 sales. The other two Superman family titles <i>Lois Lane</i> and <i>Jimmy Olsen</i> held the three and four slots, with Archie at number five. <a href="https://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales/postaldata/1962.html" target="_blank">Comichron</a> reports that 1962's highest selling Marvel was <i>Modelling with Millie</i>, but as the title wasn't published until 1963, this should probably be <i>Life with Millie</i>. <i>Tales to Astonish</i> had inexplicably lost around 25,000 sales, but would just as inexplicably regain them the following year ... I suspect subterfuge.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmvrEoZCzg4/XonaRRCdvcI/AAAAAAAAFeQ/Fj8XfSYeJAY94yML4MYhey0LDtn_2R6NwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TopSellers_1963.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="1600" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmvrEoZCzg4/XonaRRCdvcI/AAAAAAAAFeQ/Fj8XfSYeJAY94yML4MYhey0LDtn_2R6NwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/TopSellers_1963.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The highest sellers in 1963 were </i>Dennis the Menace <i>and</i> Archie<i>. A long way behind, Marvel's two top sellers were </i>Rawhide Kid <i>and</i> Kid Colt Outlaw. Tales to Astonish<i> had bounced back to around 185,000, about 10,000 copies behind the two western titles.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The following year would reveal just what a blunder Dell had made. Though the 15c price only lasted seven months, it was long enough to cause sales to plummet to about half their previous level. Further complicating things was the split between Dell and Western, leading Western to set up their own competing Gold Key line of comics. The net result was that - with no figures reported for DC from 1963-65 - Dell/Gold Key was knocked out of the top two spots by Fawcett's <i>Dennis the Menace</i> and Archie's <i>Archie</i>. In just two years <i>Walt Disney's Comics and Stories</i> had gone from over a million copies to less than half a million. <i>Uncle Scrooge</i> fared even worse, from outselling <i>WDC&S</i> to just 299,000 copies. Though we don't know the reported DC sales numbers for this period, we do know that <i>Batman</i> was seeing dropping sales, and that the DC brass would take the title away from editor Jack Schiff and have Julius Schwartz and Carmine Infantino revamp the character in 1964. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So it's not like publishers didn't know that raising the cover price of a magazine was a sure way to shed a huge chunk of their readership.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WZ3bTycziYI/Xonh2ADj-yI/AAAAAAAAFec/Vm-5vf75JEszYge6K57KrRXk2tmxo_JmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/CI-Frankenstein026_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1258" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WZ3bTycziYI/Xonh2ADj-yI/AAAAAAAAFec/Vm-5vf75JEszYge6K57KrRXk2tmxo_JmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/CI-Frankenstein026_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Classics Illustrated <i>comics were an odd beast. Reprinted over and over again, with no ad revenue to fall back on, the comics underwent several price rises, finally ending up at 25 cents for 52 pages by 1968. The following year, the series was cancelled.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And if any more proof were needed, look at the case of <i>Classics Illustrated</i>. The series had started out in 1941, adapting literary classics to comic book format. They would then reprint regularly, some editions staying in print for over 25 years. Despite the fact that they had no new script and artwork costs, they continued to raise the prices of their comics. In 1941, they were charging 10 cents for a 52-page package. Some time around 1958, they raised the price for the same book to 15 cents - three years before Dell's price-hike. Finally, in 1968, the price of a <i>Classics Illustrated</i> comic went to 25 cents. It was a step too far, and within months <i>Classics Illustrated</i> was out of business.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">AND ... BACK TO DC</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">By 1965, DC was beginning to report on sales again. <i>Superman</i> was still top of the heap with reported sales of over 800k, but the other DC titles that disclosed sales were starting to look shaky. Yes, they held eight of the top ten slots, but Gold Key were in severe decline and Marvel's split-title comics were gaining ground, up about 50,000 copies per month to around 230k each. <i>Fantastic Four</i> and <i>Spider-Man</i> had no Publisher's Statements that year, but they were almost certainly doing better.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wzkudaqm9no/Xonq2lwKYCI/AAAAAAAAFeo/WGY2dc5aLgE-PyVWjAXofsbCYRyFFpY7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TopSellers_1965.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="1600" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wzkudaqm9no/Xonq2lwKYCI/AAAAAAAAFeo/WGY2dc5aLgE-PyVWjAXofsbCYRyFFpY7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/TopSellers_1965.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The main Superman family titles occupied the top slots. The next two best-selling DC titles were </i>World's Finest <i>and</i> Batman<i>, enjoying a sales bump after Julie Schwartz's revamp. Marvel were still a long way behind, but they were gaining - fast - with </i>Journey into Mystery <i>and</i> Strange Tales <i>leading the charge.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But more important than this was the sell-through rate.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As described above, comics were on sale-or-return. This meant that any comics that weren't sold by the retailers could be returned - sometimes just the torn-off logo - for credit. Typically, a comic needed about a 50% sell-through to stay in profit. Below that, and the title was in trouble.</span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Marvel was doing very well," Carmine Infantino told <i>Comic Book Marketplace</i> in 2000. "We knew it because DC - Independent News - was handling Marvel at the time and their numbers were coming in. Marvel had books like <i>Spider-Man</i> coming in at 70, 80, even 85 percent sales. And we had books coming in at 40, 41, 42 percent. Something was wrong and they [the management] didn't know how to fix it."</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Even though it wasn't terribly difficult to identify what was different about Stan Lee's approach to comics, the DC editors either couldn't see it or didn't care. "[They] were so institutionalised, coming off all these wonderful accomplishments, taking credit for the invention of the superhero and maintaining it, and acting like no one else could do a superhero as well as they did," explained DC editor Joe Orlando in <i>Comic Book Artist 1</i> (1998). "They were getting their asses kicked in by Marvel at the newsstand, and they were not reading the Marvel books, never analysing or trying to figure out what the competition was doing. They treated their competitor with total contempt." Orlando had tried - and failed - to do comics with Stan Lee a few years earlier, so he should have been able to explain it to the DC brass. There's no record of him trying.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Someone who <i>did</i> try was <i>Doom Patrol</i> scripter Arnold Drake. The writer had crafted a memo to DC Editorial Director Irwin Donenfeld in February 1966, warning the DC brass of the danger posed by Marvel Comics.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Drake's memo made a brave attempt to get Donenfeld to understand why Marvel was making inroads, but still missed the mark. He described how Marvel was aiming at an older demographic, and suggested that DC introduce three tiers of comics - Weisinger's <i>Superman</i> family titles would be for the little kids; Julius Schwartrz's <i>Green Lantern</i> and <i>Flash</i> books would be for the pre-teens, and <i>Doom Patrol</i> and other titles like it would be for the high school and college crowd. But this still failed to analyse <i>how</i> Stan Lee was appealing to a wider audience than National ... and <i>how</i> DC could replicate it. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Even so, the DC management were dismissive. "You're full of shit as a Christmas turkey," was Donenfeld's reply, according to Drake. "We outsell them 3 - 1!" Yet Roy Thomas and John Romita both have said that DC management was having meetings about Marvel, trying to figure out why they were gaining sales so fast, as early as the summer of 1965.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">DC/National "had decided that Marvel’s secret was the 'bad drawing' of guys like Kirby and Ditko," said Roy Thomas in <i>Alter Ego 17</i>. "The fact that Drake’s memo was given short shrift even half a year later shows much about the mindset at the time."</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L295Gf_zP4I/XotZftM_pfI/AAAAAAAAFe0/HMvHIcUSEqkCGc-sgHzvORHsQ-y-HVg9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TopSellers_1966.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="1600" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L295Gf_zP4I/XotZftM_pfI/AAAAAAAAFe0/HMvHIcUSEqkCGc-sgHzvORHsQ-y-HVg9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/TopSellers_1966.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>DC must have been worried about the new, trendier upstart Marvel Comics, because they made, some might say, an embarrassing attempt to make their comics look more cool, with a checkerboard border across the top of their covers, starting with the comics on sale in December 1965. By the end of 1966, </i>Superman<i> was no longer the top-selling comic, </i>Batman <i>was</i>.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the end, Irwin Donenfeld must have conceded that <i>something</i> was wrong, because he ordered that, as of the February 1966 issues (on sale December 1965), DC would sport an identifying banner across the covers - the Go-Go Checks.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"What a ridiculous thing," Carmine Infantino told <i>A Complete History of American Comic Books</i>. "It was the stupidest thing we ever heard because the books were bad in those days and that showed people right off what <i>not</i> to buy."</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And there, Infantino hit on exactly what the problem was. DC books "were bad in those days". And with all the evidence readily available, this seems like it was on DC's radar by the second half of 1965 at the latest. So though Donenfeld stated that DC were "outselling Marvel 3 - 1", in February 1966 ... that would have been based on the numbers for 1964, as he wouldn't have had 1965's sales figures at that point. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Carmine Infantino told <i>The Comics Book Artist</i> (1998) how publishers got their sales figures. "The first numbers would come in after three months. Then at six months you'd get final sales figures, and one year later, you'd get final, final sales." So Infantino - publisher of DC Comics - is saying he wouldn't know the full results for a year until the end of the following year, because wholesalers would still be finding comics to return down the back of the sofa, or wherever.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So, all of these sales numbers quoted above - taken from the Publishers' Statements - aren't hugely reliable. Because they're not the sales figures. They're publishers' estimates. How can you report the sales figures for 1965 in the April 1966 comics? It can't be done, because at that point, you wouldn't know.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It certainly wouldn't be what advertisers would use when booking ad space. If you're an ad agency, looking to reach a certain number of people for your client's advertising dollars, you want to know <i>for sure</i> how many readers will see your magazine ad. Because your client is going to ask you.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And that's where ABC figures come in.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">SO, HOW MANY COPIES DO YOUR COMICS REALLY SELL?</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the magazine business - where I spent half my working life - advertising is a significant source of income for publishers. And how much you can charge for your advertising space hinges largely on how many copies you sell. There are other factors, too ... like demographics (who buys your magazine, broken down by age, income and so forth). But mostly it's copies sold.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Now, an advertiser isn't just going to take your word for it. They need some third party to verify your sales, so they can be sure they're reaching the numbers of their target audience they need to to sell their product. You know, like some sort of Bureau that Audits Circulations. Then, when you've got all that information, you could publish it in some sort of British Rate And Data directory, so that advertisers could refer to it.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And that's exactly what we had. The Audit Bureau of Circulations gathered all the sales information and then published it in a guide called BRAD. They also included the magazine's advertising rates and page sizes, so that the agencies would know what dimensions their print ads should be made up to and how much they would be paying for them. Both ABC and BRAD are online now and you can find them easily via Google.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3_ycGKwbt0/Xo9HzPxj2WI/AAAAAAAAFfA/4cu13frLoywIzKO_zp8sP3FkYo9kpOOJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/NWAyer%2526Sons-Directory-newspapers1933.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3_ycGKwbt0/Xo9HzPxj2WI/AAAAAAAAFfA/4cu13frLoywIzKO_zp8sP3FkYo9kpOOJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/NWAyer%2526Sons-Directory-newspapers1933.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Audited circulation numbers would be published bi-annually in trade directories like </i>Ayer's <i>in the United States and </i>BRAD <i>in the UK. These directories would be used by ad agencies and other publishers to determine how well - or not - magazines were selling.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Likewise, the United States, they too had an Audit Bureau of Circulations, though their directory was known as N.W. Ayer and Sons Directory of Newspapers and Periodicals, which also contained circulation information.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The key difference was that the numbers circulated by the ABC, through trade publications like BRAD and Ayer, were audited. That means an independent accounting firm looked through all the numbers and determined what a magazine's actual sales were, then affirmed it in a legal document. Because, to claim your sales were higher than they were would be fraud and, in both the US and the UK, you go to jail for that kind of thing. Mostly.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So, while casting around for ABC numbers for Marvel and DC, I came across a bit of research by Jon Hoyle. He had applied to the ABC in the US and got ABC figures for Marvel and DC from 1950 to 1987. I'm only concerned here with the years 1965 - 1968, as this is when I think the tables turned for DC and Marvel. Now granted, he could have made them up - and it would cost me $50 per half year to order the same data from ABC to prove it one way or the other - but why would he? Besides, I was able to find some page scans from the Ayer guide for 1963, and they confirm Jon Hoyle's figures.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UNf3spyRNk4/Xo9Lbe6ITeI/AAAAAAAAFfM/N1QBpwU6A-IrUlLHa94XBe74gbEbPE6IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1963-Ayre_DC-vs-Marvel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UNf3spyRNk4/Xo9Lbe6ITeI/AAAAAAAAFfM/N1QBpwU6A-IrUlLHa94XBe74gbEbPE6IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1963-Ayre_DC-vs-Marvel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Here's the two relevant pages from the N.W. Ayer & Sons Directory, 1963 edition. On the left, National Comics Group, and on the right, Marvel Comics Group. <b>Click on the image to enlarge.</b></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So, the two numbers to watch are 6,049,602 for National and 2,992,017 for Marvel. These would have been the average combined monthly sales figures for each company's catalogue of titles for the first half of 1962.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And here's a snapshot of Mr Hoyle's numbers, as posted in <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/rec.arts.comics.dc.universe">rec.arts.comics.dc.universe</a>. The "Full Year Average" and "Difference" columns I added myself, the Difference being how many more comics per month Marvel was selling in percentage terms (obviously a negative percentage signifies fewer copies sold).</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="background-color: black; color: white;">
<th scope="col"></th>
<th colspan="2" scope="col"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">1st HALF</span></th>
<th colspan="2" scope="col"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">2nd HALF</span></th>
<th scope="col"></th>
<th colspan="2" scope="col"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">FULL YEAR AVERAGE</span></th>
<th scope="col"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">DIFFERENCE</span></th>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color: #009ae4; color: white;">
<th scope="row"><span style="font-size: x-small;">YEAR</span></th>
<td><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">DC</span></strong></td>
<td><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">MARVEL</span></strong></td>
<td><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">DC</span></strong></td>
<td><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">MARVEL</span></strong></td>
<td></td>
<td><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">DC</span></strong></td>
<td><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">MARVEL</span></strong></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1960</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,695,210</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">2,322,162</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">8,056,093</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">3,058,312</span></td>
<td style="background-color: #009ae4;"></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,375,652</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">2,690,237</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">-63.53%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1961</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,908,803</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">2,833,849</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,747,787</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">3,401,069</span></td>
<td style="background-color: #009ae4;"></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,328,295</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">3,117,459</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">-57.46%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1962</span></td>
<td align="right" style="background-color: #fdb913;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,049,602</span></td>
<td align="right" style="background-color: #fdb913;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">2,992,017</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,250,513</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">3,587,987</span></td>
<td style="background-color: #009ae4;"></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,650,058</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">3,290,002</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">-50.53%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1963</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,262,836</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">3,364,779</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,283,109</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">4,145,588</span></td>
<td style="background-color: #009ae4;"></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,772,973</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">3,755,184</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">-44.56%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1964</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,671,121</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">3,903,821</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,461,786</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">5,322,151</span></td>
<td style="background-color: #009ae4;"></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,066,454</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">4,612,986</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">-34.72%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1965</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,274,065</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">4,873,463</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,010,828</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">5,935,322</span></td>
<td style="background-color: #009ae4;"></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,642,447</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">5,404,393</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">-18.64%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1966</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,987,445</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">5,980,401</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,687,633</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,300,363</span></td>
<td style="background-color: #009ae4;"></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,337,539</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,640,382</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">-9.50%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1967</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">5,848,098</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,390,403</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,800,572</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,695,583</span></td>
<td style="background-color: #009ae4;"></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,324,335</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,042,993</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">11.36%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1968</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">5,970,013</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">7,088,687</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,614,980</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">9,147,001</span></td>
<td style="background-color: #009ae4;"></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">6,292,497</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">8,117,844</span></td>
<td align="right"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">29.01%</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The circulation figures for both companies match the scans from the <i>N.W. Ayer Guide</i> for the first half of 1962. Consequently, I think we can safely assume that the remaining numbers are also accurate. So when DC publisher Irwin Donenfeld hair-dryered Arnold Drake back in the February of 1966, his information was out of date. DC might have been out-selling Marvel 3 - 1 ... <b>in 1960!</b> But it doesn't look like they were doing anything <i>like</i> so well by 1965.</span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So, what does all this prove? Well, nothing, really. I'm sure that there is some fundamental difference between the way the Audit Bureau of Circulation arrives at its figures for how many copies of all its magazines a publisher sells in a given month and how the publishers themselves estimate it. But I don't have enough insight into their processes to offer an informed explanation. But what I do know is that there enough evidence here to throw some reasonable doubt on the story of how Martin Goodman reversed his price rise decision and threw DC Comics into disarray. That, I <i>don't</i> think is true. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hrYw2-UmDcQ/XpCKRi_aKjI/AAAAAAAAFfY/chdtHaunCYEkI8d9RSNUqVLXoFgP6WkkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Marvel_LesDaniels.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hrYw2-UmDcQ/XpCKRi_aKjI/AAAAAAAAFfY/chdtHaunCYEkI8d9RSNUqVLXoFgP6WkkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Marvel_LesDaniels.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Daniel's 1991 book carries a notice in the imprint that </i>all<i> material in it (meaning not </i>just<i> the reproduced artwork) is copyright Marvel Entertainment Group. So ... not the unbiased impartial account you might think it to be.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So where did that story come from? The earliest telling of it I've been able to find is in the hefty history <i>Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the Worl'd's Greatest Comics</i> by Les Daniels. Quoted at the top of this page, Daniels wrote, "Martin Goodman initiated an ingenious sales strategy ... Rival DC made the same change simultaneously." And we've seen that simply isn't true. So why would Daniels write that? Because he's not a historian. He was writing the officially sanctioned Marvel version of the story. And subsequent authors have just copied the anecdote without bothering to look at the dates of the comics they're talking about.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Even though we now know that it was DC that initiated the price hike to 25 cents for 52 pages, both companies had been experimenting with the 25 cent cover price for anything up to a year before, but Marvel tried it first.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PFX0NYB8QJ4/XpCXk5VBI_I/AAAAAAAAFfk/KlfYzTiOXyIuIwgt3N71Ir2c1ZCAfEwNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MarvelFirst25c_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1291" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PFX0NYB8QJ4/XpCXk5VBI_I/AAAAAAAAFfk/KlfYzTiOXyIuIwgt3N71Ir2c1ZCAfEwNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/MarvelFirst25c_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Why did </i>Kid Colt Outlaw<i> go to giant-size for three months in 1966? Perhaps Martin Goodman was testing the waters. But in 1970, he tried again with a couple of 25 cent titles, both also reprint.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For three consecutive issues in 1966, Marvel upped the price of <i>Kid Colt Outlaw</i> to 25 cents for 68 pages. Then the title reverted to 12 cents. A few years later, Marvel started reprinting the <i>X-Men</i> as a regular 25 cent book, and added a new monster title <i>Fear</i>, reprinting 68 pages of pre-hero Marvel stories for 25 cents. Was this an experiment? Who knows ... but regular 25 cent books weren't exactly new to Marvel. They'd been reprinting their back catalogue in <i>Marvel Tales</i>, <i>Marvel Collectors' Items</i> (later <i>Marvel's Greatest Comics</i>) and <i>Marvel Super-Heroes</i> since 1966.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pg92OVs37U8/XpCYpmB5GHI/AAAAAAAAFfs/tK0dXhag_eo62tGF9ZrS-Y2yzsVgtpwhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DC25c_mystery_early.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="1283" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pg92OVs37U8/XpCYpmB5GHI/AAAAAAAAFfs/tK0dXhag_eo62tGF9ZrS-Y2yzsVgtpwhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/DC25c_mystery_early.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Like Martin Goodman, Carmine Infantino was trying out bigger, more expensive comics with some of his b-list and c-list titles. These must have sold okay, because within a few months DC had upped its entire line to 52 pages for a quarter.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Meanwhile, over at DC, Carmine Infantino was also testing the waters by converting some of his titles to 68 pages for 25 cents, the first appearing in late 1970. These too were mostly reprint, but there seems to have been some appetite to charge higher prices for comics on the part of both companies.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6_AcFsVb3zk/XpLNQSvyEJI/AAAAAAAAFgc/d3KtjbXv5Po6I1MTrflOFwCWWbc4p7FdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DC100_4-6_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1272" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6_AcFsVb3zk/XpLNQSvyEJI/AAAAAAAAFgc/d3KtjbXv5Po6I1MTrflOFwCWWbc4p7FdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/DC100_4-6_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The first three DC 100-Pagers were part of a stand-alone run. All reprint, but a hundred pages for 50 cents seemed like a pretty good deal.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then there's the 100-Page issues that DC was trialling at 50 cents. The first of these was the three issue run of </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">DC 100-Page Super Spectacular</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">, which began with issue 4, cover-dated simply 1971. On sale in June this would have been the equivalent of an August cover-dated comic. The next seven issues of the series were also part of their regular title's runs ... so <i>DC 100-Page Super Spectacular DC7</i> was also <i>Superman 245</i> (Dec 1971), but still all reprint. The title switched back to stand-alone for issues <i>DC14</i> (Feb 1973) to <i>DC22</i> (Nov 1973).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iUXylxdadro/XpLYiFrQ6UI/AAAAAAAAFgo/h_DXJoNh0zoNnlWzEMGT0b7-XiodXnPqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/GS001s_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1267" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iUXylxdadro/XpLYiFrQ6UI/AAAAAAAAFgo/h_DXJoNh0zoNnlWzEMGT0b7-XiodXnPqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/GS001s_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Giant-Size Super-Stars <i>was the first of Marvel's </i>Giant-Size series<i>. Its second issue was titled </i>Giant-Size Fantastic Four<i>. By Issue </i>5, GS FF <i>became all reprint and issue </i>6<i> was the last. The Marvel monsters were well-represented ... </i>Giant-Size Creatures<i> was Marvel's second </i>Giant-Size<i> issue - that became </i>Giant-Size Werewolf <i>with issue </i>2.</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It would take Marvel until 1974 to respond with their own line of <i>Giant-Size</i> comics - 68 pages of mostly new material for 50 cents. <i>Giant-Size Man-Thing</i> remains a favourite to this day. The experiment wasn't a success and the final <i>Giant-Size</i> issues became reprint. None lasted beyond six issues.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjJmEoB3N8w/XpCdMfTeY8I/AAAAAAAAFf4/YadEdnOjSFMB3-Y0hXrk_JCtb4LRZmIhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BullpenBull_win-71-72.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjJmEoB3N8w/XpCdMfTeY8I/AAAAAAAAFf4/YadEdnOjSFMB3-Y0hXrk_JCtb4LRZmIhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/BullpenBull_win-71-72.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Here's the two Bullpen Bulletin Pages, if you want to read the full text yourself ... <br />just <b>click on the image to enlarge</b> to reading size.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So, as we now know, DC then raised the page count and price on its entire line of comics with the August 1971 cover-dated issues. Martin Goodman followed a month or two later with the November 1971 cover-dated comics. Just why Martin even bothered to do that for a single month will forever remain a mystery. He could have just as easily gone to straight 20 cents for 36 pages, still offered the big discount to the distributors, and saved himself a lot of hassle. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It seems that Goodman didn't share his full plan - if he actually had one - with his editorial team. The Bullpen Bulletins for November 1971 talks about all the superhero titles going to 52 pages and 25 cents, but actually, <i>all</i> the titles did, including the war, romance and monster mags. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FfAQ68w-Qn8/XpCfKiT5rzI/AAAAAAAAFgE/Ly-FL0Tim7s4J_NdiiL5nBELJ_zwKiQuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MSH_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="1600" height="137" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FfAQ68w-Qn8/XpCfKiT5rzI/AAAAAAAAFgE/Ly-FL0Tim7s4J_NdiiL5nBELJ_zwKiQuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/MSH_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>I wonder whether this was some sort of try-out for the combined Iron Man / Daredevil title that Stan mentioned in the Bullpen Bulletins.The timing seems to make sense as the lineup change kicked off in Oct 1970 and ended in Nov 1971.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It also mentions that <i>Iron Man</i> and <i>Daredevil</i> would be combined into a single magazine, but actually, they weren't. And there's also talk of <i>Astonishing Tales</i> featuring a 20-page Inhumans story, but it didn't. It featured Ka-Zar and Dr Doom in two ten-page stories.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then, two months later, Stan was forced to print a retraction. He brushed it off as having to do with financial matters that we Marvelites wouldn't understand or care about, then went on to say that the new try-out titles, <i>Marvel Feature</i>, <i>Marvel Spotlight</i> and <i>Marvel Premiere</i> would all be giant-size 25 cent titles. Except <i>Marvel Premiere</i> wasn't.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v2WGrfXaWyo/YT-tVhC1YBI/AAAAAAAAGaU/I0U8S6N20skJIiOJamPhteLEFvmL0r7-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1293/mf-mp-ms001_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="1293" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v2WGrfXaWyo/YT-tVhC1YBI/AAAAAAAAGaU/I0U8S6N20skJIiOJamPhteLEFvmL0r7-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h186/mf-mp-ms001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Marvel's new try-out books were originally announced as 25 cent, 48-page books, but delays and printing bottlenecks - caused in all likelihood buy Marvel's over-ambitious expansion - meant that the window was lost, and while </i>Marvel Feature 1<i> was a 48-page book, </i>Marvel Spotlight 1<i> was a regular size. Confusingly,</i> Marvel Spotlight 2<i> was 48 pages, then </i>Marvel Premier 1 <i>was 36 pages ...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Confusion was rife in the Bullpen, and it seemed that nobody knew what the plan was supposed to be. If this truly was the first time Marvel began to outsell DC, then it was more dumb luck than design. Because it certainly didn't look like Martin Goodman knew what he was doing.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However, there does appear to be strong evidence that Marvel's sales may have overtaken DC's even earlier than this. Especially give Carmine Infantino's assertion that no publisher knew the final sales figures of a comic until at least a year after its on-sale date.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After all this number-crunching, I'm going to tackle something lighter with my blog entry for May ...</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Next: My Top Ten favourite DC Silver Age comics</b></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-50076992206316923062020-03-31T00:41:00.002-07:002021-11-21T12:48:15.954-08:00Exposed: Myths of Marvel's Silver Age - Part 2<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES,</b> a great deal has been written about the history of Marvel Comics, not all of it as well-researched as it could have been. And because of this, certain historians have chosen to lift anecdotes from earlier histories without bothering to check the sources of the material they're quoting.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Last time, I took a look at some of the legends that have appeared in successive histories of Marvel Comics and questioned whether they had been verified by the authors or simply repeated based on faith. As with many histories, it seems that opinion often triumphs over fact ... and fans of a particular artist or writer will insist that their hero tells the objective truth while all others lie and dissemble. But as my old friend and collaborator Phil Edwards always said, "There's three sides to every argument - his side, her side ... and the truth."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mC-ISalvCCU/Xm4xG5tMr_I/AAAAAAAAFaQ/qvQqurxKQKEvq3Osq5FKDIFPPtNKW5sJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ComicHistories_montage001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="675" height="251" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mC-ISalvCCU/Xm4xG5tMr_I/AAAAAAAAFaQ/qvQqurxKQKEvq3Osq5FKDIFPPtNKW5sJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ComicHistories_montage001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Back when I was a teenager, the first glimmer we comic fans had that there was an actually history to comics was these two books, both published in 1971. In retrospect, neither were very good. We wouldn't really get a decent history till </i>Steranko's History of Comics<i> (1970), a project sadly aborted before it could get to the Silver Age and the stuff I was really interested in.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I've already looked at the oft-repeated story that Marvel Comics was limited to just eight titles a month during the 1960s (not true), that Stan Lee only got his job at Marvel Comics in 1941 because he was related to publisher Martin Goodman (not true) and that Stan Lee was the cause of Simon and Kirby leaving Captain America in 1942 because Stan snitched about their moonlighting for DC to his cousin-by-marriage Martin Goodman (no evidence to support that).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This time, I'm going to look at a few more cases where it seems to me as if the historians have gone with "Print the legend."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">STAN LEE'S FIRST STAB AT GROWN-UP COMICS</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">To be fair to the comics historians, I should say that this myth has largely come from Stan Lee himself. As far back as <i>Origins of Marvel Comics</i> (Simon and Schuster, 1974), Stan had alluded to the claim that he had a revelatory moment when he realised he was fed up with hacking out copycat strips for Goodman and wanted to do something that would raise both his game and set a higher benchmark for the comic book medium. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Stan expanded on the story in his autobiography <i>Excelsior; The Amazing Life of Stan Lee</i> (Fireside Books, 2002). "For once I wanted to write stories that wouldn't insult the intelligence of an older reader, stories with interesting characterisation, more realistic dialogue and plots that hadn't been recycled a thousand times before. Above all, stories that wouldn't hew to all the comicbook cliches of years past."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So, <i>The Fantastic Four</i> was born ... right? Well, not exactly, no.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">All that stuff about wanting to quit the business and Joan Lee telling Stan to just write comics the way he wanted to, because he had nothing to lose, didn't result in <i>Fantastic Four</i>. It resulted in <i>Amazing Adult Fantasy</i>. At the very least, Stan was working on both simultaneously ... but tellingly, only one had the word "Adult" in its title. Also, only one promised to be "The Magazine That Respects Your Intelligence", right there on the cover. And though both sported a logo that strikingly resembled that of the hit, liberal-leaning <i>Twilight Zone</i> tv show, only one was an anthology of fantasy tales.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y2nRChwI8xw/XnJe6fGTbjI/AAAAAAAAFbE/NlWb6L4h1sAwShoA-lN0Xg6T6qLLWz-EQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/AAF-FF_HouseAd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="936" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y2nRChwI8xw/XnJe6fGTbjI/AAAAAAAAFbE/NlWb6L4h1sAwShoA-lN0Xg6T6qLLWz-EQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/AAF-FF_HouseAd.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>In this house ad from </i>Strange Tales 95<i> (Apr 1962), which came out between </i>FF 3<i> and </i>FF 4<i> and the same month as </i>AAF 11<i>, Stan puts </i>Amazing Adult Fantasy <i>and</i> Fantastic Four<i> together, emphasising their common logo style - though tellingly, he places </i>AAF<i> above </i>FF<i>, indicating that he thought the fantasy anthology book best placed to further his agenda.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It's for these reasons that I think I can make a case for <i>Amazing Adult Fantasy</i> being the title Stan thought would bring the older reader to the table.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The Twilight Zone</i> had premiered two years earlier, in October 1959, to outstanding reviews. "Twilight Zone is about the only show on the air that I actually look forward to seeing. It's the one series that I will let interfere with other plans", said Terry Turner for the <i>Chicago Daily News</i>. <i>The New York Herald Tribune</i> said it was "certainly the best and most original anthology series of the year" and <i>Variety</i> called it "the best that has ever been accomplished in half-hour filmed television". </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">From the outset, Serling's moral fables, with their liberal worldview and chilling observations about human frailty, won a strong audience following and, later, Emmy and Golden Globe awards. And when you compare the stories that Stan Lee was offering in his anthology titles, especially those drawn by Steve Ditko, you can see just how much of an influence on Lee Serling's series was.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2D8Lr9hRzSg/Xm40trwTepI/AAAAAAAAFac/RprBAI3qt9IeF7UByfZA6ykzUcLN_LadwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/AAF-FF-TZ_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1257" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2D8Lr9hRzSg/Xm40trwTepI/AAAAAAAAFac/RprBAI3qt9IeF7UByfZA6ykzUcLN_LadwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/AAF-FF-TZ_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>It's not a coincidence that A</i>mazing Adult Fantasy <i>and</i> Fantastic Four<i> shared a similarly styled cover logo. And I think it's fairly safe to say that Stan thought looking to the title design for Rod Serling's intelligent sci-fi tv show </i>The Twilight Zone<i> for inspiration might be the fastest way to reach the readers he was looking for.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So when Stan Lee felt he should do something more worthwhile than the kiddy-fodder he'd been filling the Atlas/Marvel comics with, it seemed natural to beef up the presence of the Serling-influenced Ditko fantasy tales by giving them their own title. So <i>Amazing Adventures</i>' Kirby kaiju stories gave way to the humanist fables of Lee/Ditko. I also think it's significant that Stan Lee almost always signed his stories with Ditko, but didn't much bother with the Kirby monster strips. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The only reason I can think of that Stan would later downplay the role of <i>Amazing Adult Fantasy</i> in his quest to bring a degree of sophistication to the four-colour comic book is that ultimately the title fell prey to poor sales and was cancelled by Marty Goodman before the new approach could establish itself. Far better to hitch your revolutionary game-changing approach to a success rather than to a failure.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I also can't help but observe that the first few issues of <i>Fantastic Four</i> followed the formula of the Kirby Giant Monster comics, almost as though Stan felt you just couldn't do grown-up superhero tales. Certainly issues 1, with the Mole Man's Godzilla-like subterranean creatures, and 3 and 4, with The Miracle Man's giant marquee monster and The Sub-Mariner's Giganto creature, didn't stray far from kaiju territory.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SJYBOzlKNqI/Xm5NYEJkW4I/AAAAAAAAFao/K61ZZJ-CRDIJWZ3CUaFR14RpojQukrJkACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff001-4_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SJYBOzlKNqI/Xm5NYEJkW4I/AAAAAAAAFao/K61ZZJ-CRDIJWZ3CUaFR14RpojQukrJkACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff001-4_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>When you have a successful formula, you'd be nuts to abandon it. So Stan stuck with giant monsters for the first few issues of </i>Fantastic Four<i>, reasoning that if monsters drove sales on </i>Astonish, Suspense<i> and the others, then it would for </i>FF<i>, too.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It wasn't really until <i>Fantastic Four 8</i> (Nov 1962) that the tone of the comic shifted a bit and Stan made an effort to <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2019/05/women-of-marvel-sue-storm.html">change the direction of the title</a>. He makes The Thing less angry, the FF start calling him "Ben" instead of "Thing" and Reed begins his quest to revert Ben to his human form. Stan also gets rid of the (rather odd) Reed-Sue-Ben triangle and introduces a new love interest for Ben, Alicia, who initially resembles Sue - though that idea is also jettisoned quite quickly. For me, <i>this</i> is where Stan made a concerted effort to make superhero comics a bit more sophisticated than the standard superhero mags DC were putting out under the editorship of Mort Weisinger - pretty brave, considering how well the Superman family titles were selling in 1961.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And as history would show, turns out Stan was right. Once Marvel got into its stride, sales began to climb and the previously unassailable DC began their decline. </span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">STAN LEE INVENTED THE "MARVEL METHOD"</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There is a prevailing school of thought out there, especially among Kirby Kultists, that Stan Lee invented the Marvel Method (of comics writing) specifically to gyp artists out of their plotting payments. The story gets repeated over and over, but without any real evidence to back it up.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I think the first hint I came across - beyond Stan's own explanations in the Marvel Bullpen Bulletins - of how comics were created during the early days was in <i>Steranko's History of Comics</i>, which I would have picked up around the age of 18. In volume 1, Steranko recounts how the classic 44-page battle between The Human Torch and The Sub-Mariner (<i>Marvel Mystery Comics 8</i> & <i>9</i>, Jun & Jul 1940) was written and drawn over a weekend.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Fd3zKmsOPM/XnY_XSx7KZI/AAAAAAAAFbQ/4GoEHlBJos44q9i3Ef4ye5tuoq68S8-0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MarvelMystery008-009_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="830" height="261" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Fd3zKmsOPM/XnY_XSx7KZI/AAAAAAAAFbQ/4GoEHlBJos44q9i3Ef4ye5tuoq68S8-0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/MarvelMystery008-009_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>What's remarkable about this 44-page battle between The Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner isn't that it was the first such character cross-over, pre-dating the first appearance of the Justice Society by several months, but that it was conceived and completed over a weekend! Both books sold out.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Carl (Burgos) and Bill (Everett) sat down at the drawing boards and composed the first two pages without having the slightest notion about the storyline. John Compton came in and began to plot out a script ... Breakdowns were pencilled as soon as page-by-page synopses were completed. Finished dialogue was written directly onto the pages, then lettered."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That process, with the art produced from a synopsis and the dialogue and captions written and lettered on the finished art sounds a lot like the Marvel Method to me.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">More recently, I picked up a copy of <i>The Best of Alter Ego</i>, a compilation of the best articles from the pioneering fanzine of the early 1960s. In it, there was a short essay by Golden and Silver Age artist Paul Reinman, which first appeared in <i>Alter Ego 4</i> (Oct 1962). Something Reinman wrote reminded me of that account from <i>Steranko's History of Comics</i>. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"I remember when the artists were just a page, or a few boxes, ahead of the writer. We would come in in the morning and the editor, who mostly doubled as the writer, would say 'Sit down. I'll write an outline of the plot in a few minutes.' While the artist was working on the first page, the editor broke down the rest of the story and typed it for the artist. The dialogue was not written before the artist had finished his inkings. When the artist looked at the breakdown of his story and if the box showed a lot of action he would let his drawing take up most of the space of this box: if it was a close-up or very little action, he would leave more space for dialogue. Well, that's the way it was in the beginning of comics."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zvobp30hehs/XndalpHQgVI/AAAAAAAAFbk/leITonY7Idg7MTLrZTKomiRWlDr83T83gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MLJ_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="1265" height="176" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zvobp30hehs/XndalpHQgVI/AAAAAAAAFbk/leITonY7Idg7MTLrZTKomiRWlDr83T83gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/MLJ_montage.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>MLJ - which later became Archie Comics - had a spat with Martin Goodman over a Captain America villain called The Hangman. It was MLJ partner Maurice Coyne (also working as Goodman's accountant at Timely) who told Joe Simon that Goodman was cheating on the Captain America royalties.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Though Reinman doesn't give any dates, a quick check of his credits on </span><a href="https://www.comics.org/penciller/name/paul%20reinman/sort/chrono/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">GCD</a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">, shows that he spent the first two years of his career working for MLJ on strips like Hangman, The Wizard and Zambini, which appeared in their top titles, <i>Pep Comics</i>, <i>Shield-Wizard</i> and <i>Zip</i>. Though he moved on to DC in mid-1943, I think it's pretty safe to say that Reinman was talking about how they worked at MLJ.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Atlas was at its peak in the mid-1950s, publishing the most titles of any publisher. Sinnott was one of Stan Lee's mainstay comic strip artists, though only the real stars - like Joe Maneely and Bill Everett - got to draw the covers.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Different publishers worked in different ways, but during the 1950s, when Marvel was known as Atlas and Stan Lee was Editor and head writer, the artists worked from full scripts. Joe Sinnott was a prolific artist at Atlas and described the work routine in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Jack Kirby Collector 9 </i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(1995). "I'd go down to the city on Friday, and Stan would give me a script to take home. I'd start on Monday morning by lettering the balloons in pencil. Then I'd pencil the story from the script and ink it and leave the balloons penciled. I'd pencil a page in the morning, and ink it in the afternoon ... I'd bring the story back on Friday and he'd give me another script. I never knew what kind of script I'd be getting. Stan had a big pile on his desk, and he used to write most of the stories himself in those days. You'd walk in, and he'd be banging away at his typewriter. He would finish a script and put it on the pile. Sometimes on his pile would be a western, then below it would be a science fiction, and a war story, and a romance. You never knew what you were getting, because he always took it off the top. And you were expected to do any type of story."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The later, in the post-Atlas years, when Marvel Comics was only known by the tiny letters "MC" on its covers, Stan was still supplying full scripts to his artists. The seeds of the Marvel Method were sown when Stan began to ramp up output at the beginning of the 1960s and found he was struggling to do all the editing and scripting himself. So he began writing with his brother Larry Leiber, who was primarily an artist.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In an interview for <i>Alter Ego Vol 3, No 2</i> (1999), Lieber explained how those early Marvel stories were done. "Stan made up the plot, and then he'd give it to me, and I'd write the script ... I was unsure of myself just sitting down to write a script. Since I knew how to draw, I'd think, 'Oh, this shot will have a guy coming this way... this shot we'll have a guy looking down on him,' and later I'd sit at the typewriter and type it up. After a while, I'd just go to the typewriter. I would follow from Stan's plots ... <b>Jack I always had to send a full script to</b>." [My emphasis.]</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A few months later, dissatisfied with Lieber's scripts, Stan Lee hired some veteran scripters - Robert Bernstein, Ernie Hart and even Jerry Siegel - to cope with the load, but in the end he realised that to get the kind of stories he wanted for the fledgling Marvel Comics, he'd have to write them himself.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However, there is an important clue here to how Stan arrived at the Marvel Method. He was giving plots to brother Larry to break down into panel-by-panel scripts with dialogue and captions. I've not come across any indication that Larry had any input into the plots. It is possible that, when Stan was working with Bernstein and Hart, he did allow some plotting collaboration but, again, I've not found any statements from the participants to support that.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qmthxsxg5uo/XndtzoBQw_I/AAAAAAAAFcM/JoKkDMRXvMAsHEcz86olSBtcb2pDHbWswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Marvel_10-63_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="1267" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qmthxsxg5uo/XndtzoBQw_I/AAAAAAAAFcM/JoKkDMRXvMAsHEcz86olSBtcb2pDHbWswCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Marvel_10-63_montage.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The above Marvels were the last scripted by Hart, Siegel and Bernstein before Stan took over all the writing chores himself. It's not a huge leap to go from providing brief plots to hired scripters, to providing plots to pencillers, to co-plotting with pencillers.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The next step in the evolution came when Lee rightly realised that it was the characterisation in the script - and the emotions felt by his characters - that made Marvel tales more appealing to his young audience than the old-fashioned, plot-driven DC-style stories. Stan understood that the details of the plot were the least important component. So rather than sit down with some less talented scripters and feed them plots, why not sit down with the artists, thrash out a plot, then have the artist draw it up before the dialogue was written? Pretty much a reversion to how it was done in the early 1940s.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As 1963 rolled over into 1964, it seems likely that Stan found some pencillers were better at fleshing out a brief story synopsis into a 20-page story than others. Steve Ditko appears to have been best at it, and had likely worked that way with Stan during the pre-hero years. Jack Kirby - even though he'd been used to full scripts from the Marvel Bullpen was able to adapt and add detail to the briefest of outlines. Others, like Gene Colan and Don Heck, needed more hand-holding.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What is interesting is that those who had the biggest issues with how Stan worked - I'm thinking Wally Wood, Joe Orlando and Gil Kane - were all from a background where they would be given some form of full script to work from.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Kane had worked for DC Comics most of his career, and the editors there would hold regular story conferences with the writers to create a plot, then have the scripters - John Broome, Gardner Fox - go home and type up a full script for the penciller. I'm pretty sure the writers didn't get paid for the plotting session.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">At EC Comics, where Wood and Orlando cut their teeth, the discipline was even stricter. Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein would plot and script the stories, then give the boards to a letterer to ink in the captions and dialogue. Only then would the boards go to the artist, who would have to fill the pre-ruled and lettered panels with drawings.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6aRu-2LMAHs/XneBmJUG27I/AAAAAAAAFcY/7gUNZepHi6kVINMyyTJuJV6pjCtQ6f5VgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/WF013_WoodOrlando_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1200" height="257" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6aRu-2LMAHs/XneBmJUG27I/AAAAAAAAFcY/7gUNZepHi6kVINMyyTJuJV6pjCtQ6f5VgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/WF013_WoodOrlando_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Here's a Wally Wood page and a Joe Orlando page - both from </i>Weird Fantasy 13<i> (May 1952). The artboard was pre-lettered with the captions and balloons and the artists would have to fit their drawings in as best they could. Some artists would find this restrictive and impossible to work with, and others found it worked best for them. Wordy, aren't they?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So from Wally Wood's point of view, it may well have looked like Stan was getting him to "write" the story while taking the credit ... but that's only because Wood had never worked Stan's way before.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Interviewed by Mark Evanier, Wood said, "I enjoyed working with Stan on <i>Daredevil</i> but for one thing. I had to make up the whole story. He was being paid for writing, and I was being paid for drawing, but he didn't have any ideas. I'd go in for a plotting session, and we'd just stare at each other until I came up with a storyline. I felt like I was writing the book but not being paid for writing."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That doesn't really ring true to me. I just can't imagine Stan - the most talkative human being on the planet - just sitting and staring at Wally Wood. I rather think that Wood, like some others, is vastly overestimating the importance of the plot to a comic story. When Wood did actually write an issue of <i>Daredevil</i> by himself, Lee's criticism wasn't of the plot but of the lack of characterisation in the dialogue.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"I persuaded him to let me write one by myself since I was doing 99% of the writing already," said Wood in the same interview. "I wrote it, handed it in, and he said it was hopeless. He said he'd have to rewrite it all and write the next issue himself."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">At that stage of the process, there was very little Lee could have done about the plot ... but he sure could fix up the dialogue. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Joe Orlando, who preceded Wally Wood as </i>Daredevil <i>penciller, also had difficulties with Stan's way of working. After three issue - </i>Daredevil 2 - 4<i> (Jun - Oct 1964) - he quit because he couldn't deal with Stan asking him to redraw the pages he was turning in.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The point is that every writer or artist has a different history and background. And each has different working habits. What works for some doesn't work for others. What drew Neal Adams to Marvel in 1969 is he'd heard that the artists worked from the slightest of plots and were free to draw the comic their own way.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So it turns out that Stan didn't invent the plot-art-script process of creating comic strips. It's a method that has been in use since the 1940s, which some artists prefer and some don't. I can see how Stan found his heavy workload - as Marvel Comics grew during the early 1960s - meant he had to find ways to get the comic stories completed faster. He tried several different processes before he hit on the one that gave him the best control over how the characters were portrayed. Because Stan was all about the characters and their emotions, just as DC were all about the plots and their resolutions, and thought characterisation was irrelevant ... And we know how that eventually turned out.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I was going to try to squeeze in an account of the 1971 "price war" between Marvel and DC and give some perspective on the sales numbers that have been quoted in a few accounts, but it's the end of the month and I just don't have the time to do it justice this month, so I'll leave it for now and try to publish the last part of this look at Marvel Myths and Legends in a week or two.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Next: The DC / Marvel Price War of 1971</b></span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-44972872385895139862020-02-09T08:17:00.017-08:002023-08-27T01:48:09.583-07:00Exposed: Myths of Marvel's Silver Age - Part 1<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>BACK IN THE EARLY 1960s</b>, Marvel comics was a small publishing house that no one really cared about. After some bad luck and at least one disastrous business decision during the 1950s, owner-publisher Martin Goodman, who was married to Stan Lee's mother's niece, was presiding over a company that had definitely seen better days.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But before I get <i>too</i> deeply into that, let's first pause to expose one of the minor myths of Marvel - that Stan Lee got his job because he was related to Martin Goodman. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>It wasn't publisher Martin Goodman who got Stan Lee his job at Timely (later Marvel) in 1941, but Stan's Uncle Robbie Solomon, who was also Goodman's brother-in-law.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In fact, Stanley Martin Leiber (I'm pretty sure the "Martin" was a coincidence) was largely unknown to Goodman. It was Stan's uncle, Robbie Solomon, who secured an interview for Stan with then-Timely editor Joe Simon - and probably pressured Simon to hire young Leiber - that resulted in Stan working for Goodman. So Stan's claim, in his biography <i>Excelsior - The Amazing Life of Stan Lee</i>, that "Martin and I had never had much to do with each other before I started working at his company" is probably true. "My first day on the job at Timely, Martin seemed surprised to see me," Stan continues. "He sounded puzzled as he asked me, 'What are you doing here?' I didn't know if Robbie had neglected to mention that I had been interviewed and accepted by editor Joe Simon, or if Simon himself had forgotten to tell him."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Joe Simon has disputed that story, for example, when interviewed by Mark Evanier at the 1998 San Diego Comic Convention. "That story can't be true. We only had three offices and a bunch of [Goodman's] relatives in the building." But then later in the interview, Simon make an interesting throwaway comment. "[Goodman] had all his relatives around him. He had Uncle Robbie there, taking care of Uncle Robbie."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That says more to me about how Stan ended up working for Goodman than anything else. It seems pretty certain that it was Robbie Solomon who got Stan the job. Goodman may well have not known about it. Because "Uncle Robbie was taking care of Uncle Robbie." As in, he was taking care of his own family, not Goodman's.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That Stan Lee worked directly for Editor Joe Simon has given rise to another Marvel myth - the idea that Stan Lee ratted on Simon and Kirby's moonlighting at DC during 1941, leading to the Captain America creators being fired from Timely. But first, some background. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">When Martin Goodman first got into comics with the prophetically titled <i>Marvel Comics 1</i> (Oct 1939), he had used a comics "shop" run by Lloyd Jacquet, First Funnies Inc. Jacquet was also contracted to supply all the material for <i>Marvel Mystery Comics</i> and sister magazine <i>Daring Mystery Comics</i>. A third magazine, <i>Mystic Comics</i>, used material supplied by Harry Chesler.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zjWG4tEd3Eg/Xi3AKONCtzI/AAAAAAAAFVs/oyDBYRc4AwIWRwpObay79ssRTW4u0KGqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MarvelDaringMystic_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="1269" height="175" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zjWG4tEd3Eg/Xi3AKONCtzI/AAAAAAAAFVs/oyDBYRc4AwIWRwpObay79ssRTW4u0KGqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/MarvelDaringMystic_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>For reasons unknown, </i>Marvel Comics<i> became </i>Marvel Mystery Comics<i> after its first issue. In short order, Martin Goodman added </i>Daring Mystery Comics <i>and</i> Mystic Comics <i>to the lineup. But neither enjoyed much success and were marked by irregular publication and constant lineup changes.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">With Goodman wanting more, Jacquet assigned Simon to write and draw a Human Torch knock-off The Fiery Mask for <i>Daring Mystery Comics 1</i> (Jan 1940). Goodman liked the character and invited Simon over to the Timely offices for a chat. Goodman asked Simon what Jacquet was paying him. When Simon replied, Goodman said he’d pay more for Simon to create original, selling concepts for Timely. So Simon started freelancing for Timely. In December 1939, Simon answered an ad in the New York Times and became the editor at Fox Features Syndicate, while continuing his freelance work for Funnies and Timely. He began working with Fox artist Jack Kirby on a Funnies project for Novelty Press, <i>Blue Bolt</i>. In the spring of 1940, Simon quit Fox and joined Timely as Editor, bringing Kirby with him. I explain all of this to show that working for more than one company at a time was considered normal in the early days of comics.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Another bit of important background. At the end of 1939, a couple of months after the release of <i>Marvel Comics 1</i>, MLJ published <i>Pep Comics 1</i> (Jan 1940), featuring the first appearance of a red-white-and-blue super-hero The Shield. MLJ was co-owned by Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit (Martin Goodman's first business partner in publishing), and John L. Goldwater, and would later morph into Archie Comics. Maurice Coyne is the name to watch, here.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XgETOaDZJvg/Xi3Niw0KMiI/AAAAAAAAFWE/zqThJa8B3V8udOVi229aRVZWed3hlBksACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/PepComics_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="856" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XgETOaDZJvg/Xi3Niw0KMiI/AAAAAAAAFWE/zqThJa8B3V8udOVi229aRVZWed3hlBksACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/PepComics_montage.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>MLJ's The Shield was the first superhero to dress up in the America Flag. Created by Harry Shorten (who would later edit Tower Comics in the 1960s) and Irv Novick, first appearing in </i>Pep Comics 1 (Jan 1940). A later issue of Pep Comics<i> - issue 17 (Jul 1941) - would debut a hero called The Hangman.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Back at Timely Comics, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby began to churn out material for Goodman's comic range, their key characters being Red Raven and all the backup features in <i>Red Raven Comics 1</i> (Aug 1940), Marvel Boy in <i>Daring Mystery 6</i> (Sep 1940), The Vision in <i>Marvel Mystery 13</i> (Nov 1940) and, of course, Captain America and Bucky in <i>Captain America Comics 1</i> (Mar 1941).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">With <i>Captain America Comics</i>, Joe Simon had negotiated a better deal for Kirby and himself. He got Goodman to agree that Simon and Kirby would get 25% of the profits of <i>Captain America Comics</i>. For the first few issues, Simon and Kirby broke their backs to make <i>Captain America</i> the best comic they could, and their efforts were rewarded when sales rose to over one million copies. After <i>Captain America 6</i> (Sep 1941) came out, pitting Cap against a villain called The Hangman, MLJ's John Goldwater, already smarting because Captain America was far outselling his own <i>Pep Comics</i> character The Shield, considered Timely's Hangman to be an infringement of his own <i>Pep Comics</i> hero, The Hangman, and threatened Goodman with a lawsuit. Goodman placated Goldwater by promising to never use The Hangman again. And that appeared to be the end of the matter.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However, in a strange turn of circumstance Maurice Coyne, who also worked as Martin Goodman's accountant at Timely Comics, drew Joe Simon aside, not long after the Hangman incident, and told him that Goodman was piling Timely expenses against <i>Captain America Comics</i>, to such an extent that the million-selling title wasn't showing a profit. And that Simon and Kirby were unlikely to get their 25%.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWSNL-ByuGw/Xi3WXhn_NVI/AAAAAAAAFWQ/zBuCpa0difYPDPyvlhARzimtnYWDwiUHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/AllWinners_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="1285" height="170" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWSNL-ByuGw/Xi3WXhn_NVI/AAAAAAAAFWQ/zBuCpa0difYPDPyvlhARzimtnYWDwiUHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/AllWinners_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>With the enormous success of </i>Captain America Comics<i>, Goodman capitalised by putting out further vehicles for Captain America ... </i>All Winner Comics, USA Comics <i>and</i> Young Allies<i>, all edited, written and drawn (to some extent) by the Simon and Kirby team.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Simon was furious, especially given that other Timely titles, </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">USA Comics</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">, </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">All-Winners</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> and </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Young Allies</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> also featuring Captain America were selling near to a million copies a month too. So he put out feelers to National Comics publisher Jack Liebowitz, to see whether he and Kirby could jump ship. Liebowitz was delighted and quickly agreed to Simon's price of $500 a week, way more than the $85 and $75 Joe and Jack were getting from Goodman.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Simon and Kirby quickly rented office space and began working on concepts for National on their lunch-hours and in the evenings. But office junior Stan Lee began to get curious about where Simon and Kirby were disappearing off to and followed them one day. Realising they moonlighting on other projects, Stan pitched in to help, continuing as their gopher of the side project as well as in the Timely office. They swore Lee to secrecy and continued to work on concepts for Liebowitz.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then one day, at Timely, Simon and Kirby were confronted by Goodman family members, including Robbie Solomon, who accused them of working for other publishers behind their backs. I'm not sure why this would have upset the Timely management so much. Moonlighting was pretty normal in these first, formative days of comics. Martin Goodman had actually asked Simon to moonlight for Timely while he was still at Funnies Inc. So the idea of Simon and Kirby moonlighting for another publisher while they were working at Timely surely couldn't have been a surprise.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Simon and Kirby were fired from Timely, but were forced to finish the current issue of <i>Captain America</i> first (10, Jan 1942), putting the date of the incident early to mid-September 1941.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A lot of people knew about Simon and Kirby's plans to move to National, but Simon recounts that Kirby always suspected Stan and that he commented, "Next time I see that little son of a bitch, I'm gonna kill him." (He didn't.) I'm not even sure why Kirby was upset. He and Simon were planning to leave Timely anyway. And even if Stan <i>did</i> tell the Goodmans - and there's no evidence that he did - they were his family, and Simon and Kirby weren't.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So with no evidence other than Kirby's general irritation with Lee to back it up, it seems as though the idea of Stan being responsible for Simon and Kirby leaving Timely in 1941 is a myth.</span><br />
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<br />
<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">WAS 1960s MARVEL LIMITED TO EIGHT TITLES A MONTH?</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This one is neither simple nor straightforward to answer. It's true that in the wake of the <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-were-silver-age-marvels-so-much.html#implosion">Great Atlas Implosion of 1957</a>, Martin Goodman was forced to ask National publisher and rival Jack Liebowitz to distribute his Magazine Management publications, including the comics. As part of the deal, the comics were indeed limited to eight titles a month. That much is true. But it's not the full story. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The popular myth is that Marvel limped through the 1960s with just 16 titles until it came time to renegotiate the contract with Independent News in 1967 and suddenly, with one bound, Marvel was free. But I looked at the Marvel line-up from 1957 to 1967 and the truth is a little bit different.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0i-SMnD981o/Xjle2wF6KPI/AAAAAAAAFWc/RzpZ2POnR2UsDZrTK6XhhKu0I4jT_Q9KgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1960_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1600" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0i-SMnD981o/Xjle2wF6KPI/AAAAAAAAFWc/RzpZ2POnR2UsDZrTK6XhhKu0I4jT_Q9KgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1960_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Westerns must've been struggling as the 1950s ended. Goodman cancelled </i>Wyatt Earp<i>, a title that began in 1949 and replaced it with the Archie Comics style </i>My Girl Pearl<i> (itself a revival of a 1950s title). Monsters were good business though, as </i>Strange Tales <i>and</i> Tales to Astonish<i> were promoted to monthly.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yes, it is true that in the early days, Goodman was forced to cancel one title if he wanted to launch a new one. But that rule was eased as early as 1960 when, by the end of the year, the line had expanded by switching <i>Strange Tales</i> (with <i>78</i>, Nov 1960) and <i>Tales to Astonish</i> (with <i>12</i>, Oct 1960) from bi-monthly to monthly. <i>Wyatt Earp</i> with issue <i>29</i> (Jun 1960) was cancelled, its slot taken by <i>My Girl Pearl 1</i> (Aug 1960). So Marvel was publishing nine titles a month.</span><br />
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<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="background-color: #009ae4; color: white;">
<td align="center" colspan="2">1959</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2">1960</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2">1961</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Odd months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Even Months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Odd months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Even Months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Odd months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Even Months</span></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Gunsmoke Western</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kid Colt Outlaw</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Love Romances </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Mille the Model</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">My Own Romance</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Battle</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy & Hedy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy Walker</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Worlds/Kathy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Two-Gun Kid</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">World of Fantasy/Date with Millie</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Wyatt Earp
</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Gunsmoke Western</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kid Colt Outlaw</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Love Romances </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Millie the Model</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">My Own Romance/Teen-Age Romance</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Battle/Rawhide Kid</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Date/Life with Millie</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kathy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy & Hedy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy Walker</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Two-Gun Kid</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Wyatt Earp /My Girl Pearl</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Fantastic Four<br />Gunsmoke Western</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery<br />Kid Colt Outlaw</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Love Romances</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Millie the Model</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Linda Carter</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Teenage Romance<br />Two-Gun Kid/</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Adventures</span><br />
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kathy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Life with Millie</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">My Girl Pearl/Amazing Adventures</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy & Hedy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy Walker</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Rawhide Kid</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">8 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">8 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">9 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">9 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">12 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">10 slots</span></strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">By the end of 1961 Goodman had added <i>Fantastic Four</i> and <i>Linda Carter</i> as bi-monthlies. <i>Two-Gun Kid</i> and <i>My Girl Pearl</i> were cancelled, to be replaced by the monthly <i>Amazing Adventures</i>, leading to a net increase in titles to ten on even months and 12 on odd months.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uWOYeUuq5BM/XjllWwiWQBI/AAAAAAAAFWo/T2LshuKAvMwDB5Vw-KOvfGjC8vcSrefoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1961_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="1600" height="137" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uWOYeUuq5BM/XjllWwiWQBI/AAAAAAAAFWo/T2LshuKAvMwDB5Vw-KOvfGjC8vcSrefoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1961_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Another long-running western comic </i>Two-Gun Kid<i> was a casualty in 1961, cancelled with its 59th issue, making way for another monster title, </i>Amazing Adventures. My Girl Pearl<i> also went, but </i>Linda Carter - Student Nurse<i> was put on the schedule.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In 1962, <i>Amazing Adventures</i> became <i>Amazing (Adult) Fantasy</i> and motored right on as a monthly, until August's issue 15, when it was cancelled and <i>Fantastic Four</i> took over its monthly slot, with issue 6. Much has been made of the conflict between Stan Lee's editorial text in <i>Amazing Fantasy 15</i>, promising that Spider-Man would be the lead feature in future issues, and Stan later saying that he put Spider-Man in the magazine because he knew Goodman was cancelling it. They can't both be true. Given the timing of the cancellation and <i>Fantastic Four</i>'s increasing sales, it seems to make the most sense that Goodman was winding up <i>Amazing</i> to clear the way to make <i>FF</i> a monthly. After all, he could always change his mind later, couldn't he? Similarly, with <i>Fantastic Four</i> doing so well, I think Goodman asked Stan for another superhero title, so he cancelled <i>Teen-Age Romance</i> (with 86, Mar 1962), making way for <i>Incredible Hulk</i> as a bi-monthly in May. The result was there were no net gains in 1962, with Goodman continuing to publish 12 comic titles one month and ten the next. Oh, and <i>Two-Gun Kid</i> returned in November.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VDlJK36SBM4/Xjlt5GetpkI/AAAAAAAAFW0/hRYoNp3mce8VyAZdQvKxYX2T9FCJdo8JQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1962_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="1600" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VDlJK36SBM4/Xjlt5GetpkI/AAAAAAAAFW0/hRYoNp3mce8VyAZdQvKxYX2T9FCJdo8JQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1962_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Martin Goodman cancelled </i>Teen-Age Romance<i> with its 86th issue. That's a pretty good run for a general romance book. He still had </i>Love Romances<i> in that genre. The burgeoning </i>Fantastic Four<i> was moved to a monthly schedule with issue 6, but </i>Amazing Fantasy<i> was a casualty.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The following year 1963 maintained the number of titles, but there a few casualties. Sales of <i>Incredible Hulk</i> were disappointing, so Goodman cancelled it, and Stan Lee and Jack Kirby came up with <i>Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos</i> as a replacement. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHljENS51M8/XjmQwoJnASI/AAAAAAAAFXA/yoAoGlN17hUm4ag-zdj6_MPAC4UE-jBNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1963_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHljENS51M8/XjmQwoJnASI/AAAAAAAAFXA/yoAoGlN17hUm4ag-zdj6_MPAC4UE-jBNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1963_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>I'm starting to see a pattern, here. Goodman apparently gave a title a year to prove itself. If it didn't make good sales, it was gone. Just like </i>The Incredible Hulk<i>, cancelled after six disappointing bi-monthly issues. In its place, a reliable war-themed book, </i>Sgt Fury<i>, but done in Lee and Kirby's successful</i> Fantastic Four<i> style.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Gunsmoke Western</i> headed for the last round-up and its slot was taken by new team-book <i>The Avengers</i>. To accommodate the other team book Lee launched that year, <i>The X-Men</i>, Marvel's last love story anthology <i>Love Romances</i> called it a day.</span><br />
<br />
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="background-color: #009ae4; color: white;">
<td align="center" colspan="2">1962</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2">1963</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2">1964</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Odd months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Even Months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Odd months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Even Months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Odd months</span></strong></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Even Months</span></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Fantasy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Fantastic Four</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Gunsmoke Western</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kid Colt Outlaw</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Linda Carter</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Love Romances </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Millie the Model</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Teenage Romances/Incredible Hulk
</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Fantasy/Fantastic Four</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kathy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Life with Millie</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy & Hedy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy Walker</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Rawhide Kid</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish
</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Fantastic Four</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Gunsmoke Western/Avengers</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Incredible Hulk/Sgt Fury</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kid Colt Outlaw</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Linda Carter/Amazing Spider-Man </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Love Romances/X-Men </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Mille the Model</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Two-Gun Kid</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Fantastic Four</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kathy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Modelling with Millie </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy & Hedy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy Walker</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Rawhide Kid</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Avengers</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Fantastic Four</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Gunsmoke Western</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kid Colt Outlaw</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Mille the Model</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Sgt Fury</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Two-Gun Kid</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">X-Men</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man<br />
Fantastic Four</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Journey into Mystery</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Kathy/Daredevil</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Modelling with Millie</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy & Hedy</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Patsy Walker</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Rawhide Kid</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">12 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">10 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">12 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">10 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">13 slots</span></strong></td>
<td align="center"><strong><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">11 slots</span></strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">By 1964, Goodman was adding even more titles, sometimes increasing his slots by making the more successful bi-monthly titles monthly ... For example, the teen humour title <i>Kathy</i> was cancelled with issue <i>27</i>, a respectable run for that kind of book. In its place came <i>Daredevil</i>, originally scheduled to launch alongside <i>The X-Men</i> and <i>The Avengers</i>. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0m34FGQpo0s/XjmSEj71QBI/AAAAAAAAFXI/XK-gyBLRjEcwWMC5wdWcdal5h3OhmJOjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1964_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0m34FGQpo0s/XjmSEj71QBI/AAAAAAAAFXI/XK-gyBLRjEcwWMC5wdWcdal5h3OhmJOjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1964_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Even making </i>Kathy<i> a little bit less like </i>Archie<i> and a little bit more like </i>Millie the Model<i> couldn't save it, and it was axed with issue 27 (Feb 1964). </i>Daredevil<i> would have launched in 1963 - probably the month before or after </i>The Avengers <i>and</i> X-Men<i>, but Bill Everett struggled to get back into the swing of things and the book ran almost six months late.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The Avengers</i> went monthly with issue <i>7</i>. Meanwhile, <i>Sgt Fury</i> increased frequency in August, <i>Modelling with Millie</i> went monthly in September, <i>Millie the Model</i> stepped up from bi-monthly in October, giving the Millie franchise an impressive four titles, including the two bi-monthly spin-offs <i>Patsy and Hedy</i> and <i>Patsy Walker</i>.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C92BJtdrYKY/Xjmh9fN-nkI/AAAAAAAAFXU/U6GPq9pKAdc4mfKx9Q7Dc2RrfnymxkkZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1965_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="1600" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C92BJtdrYKY/Xjmh9fN-nkI/AAAAAAAAFXU/U6GPq9pKAdc4mfKx9Q7Dc2RrfnymxkkZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1965_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Goodman had started sneaking in reprint 25-centers, under the guise of them being annuals. In fact, the first two </i>Marvel Tales<i> were designated annuals on the cover, but that pretence would be dropped the following year. And when the titles proved successful, Goodman did his usual trick of copying his own success and canned poor old </i>Patsy Walker<i> to make way for another low-budget reprint book, </i>Fantasy Masterpieces.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1965 remained quite stable for Marvel. </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Modelling with Millie</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> dropped back to bi-monthly for the first half of the year, but was again monthly from the summer onwards. In December, </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">X-Men</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> went monthly, pushing Marvel's title-count by the close of the year to 15. </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Patsy Walker</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">'s final issue was 124 (Dec 1965). That would be replaced in 1966 by the bi-monthly </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantasy Masterpieces</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">. Other reprint titles had been sneaking in on an irregular basis. They too would go on the schedule ...</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="background-color: #009ae4; color: white;">
<td align="center" colspan="2">1965</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2">1966</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2">1967</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Odd months</strong></span></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Even Months</strong></span></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Odd months</strong></span></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Even Months</strong></span></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Odd months</strong></span></td>
<td align="center" width="16.6%"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Even Months</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man<br />
Avengers<br />
Fantastic Four<br />
Journey into Mystery<br />
Kid Colt Outlaw<br />
Mille the Model<br />
Sgt Fury<br />
Strange Tales<br />
Tales of Suspense<br />
Tales to Astonish<br />
Two-Gun Kid<br />
X-Men</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man<br />
Daredevil<br />
Fantastic Four<br />
Journey into Mystery<br />
Kathy<br />
Modelling with Millie <br />
Patsy & Hedy<br />
Patsy Walker<br />
Rawhide Kid<br />
Strange Tales<br />
Tales of Suspense<br />
Tales to Astonish</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man<br />
Avengers <br />
Fantastic Four<br />
Journey into Mystery<br />
Kid Colt Outlaw<br />
Marvel Tales<br />
Mille the Model<br />
Sgt Fury<br />
Strange Tales<br />
Tales of Suspense<br />
Tales to Astonish<br />
Two-Gun Kid<br />
X-Men</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man<br />
Avengers <br />Daredevil <br />
Fantastic Four<br />
Fantasy Masterpieces<br />
Journey into Mystery<br />
Marvel Collectors Items<br />
Mille the Model<br />
Modelling with Millie <br />
Patsy & Hedy<br />Rawhide Kid<br />
Strange Tales<br />
Tales of Suspense<br />
Tales to Astonish<br />
X-Men</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man<br />
Avengers<br />
Daredevil<br />
Fantastic Four<br />Kid Colt Outlaw<br />
Marvel Tales<br />
Mille the Model<br />Not Brand Echh<br />Sgt Fury<br />
Strange Tales<br />
Tales of Suspense<br />
Tales to Astonish<br />Thor<br />
Two-Gun Kid<br />
X-Men</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man<br />
Avengers<br />
Daredevil<br />
Fantastic Four<br />
Fantasy Masterpieces/Marvel Superheroes<br />Marvel Collectors Items<br />
Mille the Model<br />
Modelling with Millie/Not Brand Echh<br />
Patsy & Hedy/Ghost Rider<br />Rawhide Kid<br />Sgt Fury<br />
Strange Tales<br />
Tales of Suspense<br />
Tales to Astonish<br />Thor<br />
X-Men</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>12 slots</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>15 slots</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>15 slots</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>16 slots</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>15 slots</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>16 slots</strong></span></td>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In 1966, the reprint books <i>Marvel Tales</i> and <i>Marvel Collectors' Item Classics</i> became regular bi-monthly titles. <i>Journey into Mystery</i> became <i>Thor</i> (with the same numbering) so that doesn't really count as a cancellation and launch. The number of titles was further bumped up by <i>Daredevil</i> becoming a monthly as well.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lC3pLFBXPrc/Xjmzami3v2I/AAAAAAAAFXg/AmIlXgScGXcNvcrkL_DaVKo3qyNHBCuPACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1966_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1305" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lC3pLFBXPrc/Xjmzami3v2I/AAAAAAAAFXg/AmIlXgScGXcNvcrkL_DaVKo3qyNHBCuPACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1966_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Daredevil <i>and</i> X-Men<i> were last two Marvel super-hero titles to make the switch from bi-monthly to monthly. In 1966, the only bi-monthlies Goodman still had were the untested </i>Fantasy Masterpieces<i>, along with other two 25c reprints </i>Marvel Tales <i>and</i> Marvel Collectors' Items<i> ... the westerns </i>Kid Colt Outlaw, Rawhide Kid <i>and</i> Two-Gun Kid ... and <i>Patsy and Hedy</i>.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But 1967 was where it became really crazy. The Independent News contract was coming to a close and Marvel comics were gaining sales in leaps and bounds. In addition, IND - along with parent company National Periodical Publications (better known as DC) - were bought out by Kinney National, a cash-rich company with lots of car parks. Where DC sought to curb Marvel via their pointless restrictions, the new Kinney management soon tumbled to just how much money they were making distributing Marvels. It was in their own best interest to try to keep Goodman happy, because for the first time in ten years, he didn't really need them any more. With his sales figures, he could probably strike a deal with any distributor he chose.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3vQQ50cN-hU/Xm4TldBahgI/AAAAAAAAFaE/8LQw-Nt8d-UIANRuCdV3gZSKQlGoZlQCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Curtis_montage_correct.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3vQQ50cN-hU/Xm4TldBahgI/AAAAAAAAFaE/8LQw-Nt8d-UIANRuCdV3gZSKQlGoZlQCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Curtis_montage_correct.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Perfect Film owner Martin Ackerman also controlled Curtis Circulation, who counted two of America's biggest selling titles in their portfolio. He was obviously keen to add rising star Marvel Comics to his line-up and would buy Marvel, if that's what it took.</i></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It's not very clear what happened next. It does appear that Goodman revised the terms of his distribution deal with Kinney/IND towards the end of 1967 - the tenth anniversary of having to go cap-in-hand to DC's Jack Liebowitz to get his comics on the newsstands. This allowed him to release more titles and would have been part of Goodman's plan to sell Magazine Management. The more titles he was publishing, the higher price he could get for his company. And I think this is the point where Goodman decided to give the co-stars of his anthology titles their own comics.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iGcLIYrngNA/Xj_91AVIHwI/AAAAAAAAFYQ/lKkmbjoOYWIEzaTI99Ik1rS3t8vMVmHFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/CaptSavage001_01-68.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iGcLIYrngNA/Xj_91AVIHwI/AAAAAAAAFYQ/lKkmbjoOYWIEzaTI99Ik1rS3t8vMVmHFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/CaptSavage001_01-68.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>In retrospect, it looks like the first seed of Goodman's expansionism was sowed here, with a tentative new war title, </i>Captain Savage and His Leatherneck Raiders<i>, a spin-off from the </i>Sgt Fury<i> title. The title was cover-dated Jan 1968, but actually went on sale on 9 Nov 1967.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some critics have said that this decision was the beginning of the end for Marvel. Saleswise, the company was doing terrifically well, overtaking DC Comics in total copies sold, at 50 million a year. Expanding the stories in the split titles from 11 pages a month each to 20 pages put a big strain on Stan and the Bullpen and the quality inevitably slipped. But the point is Martin Goodman didn't care! He was aiming to sell the business, not make great comics.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szG2KSSo164/Xj_3diH4oeI/AAAAAAAAFX4/kTl_aONuH08yzweTDzV1RjK0RI1ydj98wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MSH_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="850" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szG2KSSo164/Xj_3diH4oeI/AAAAAAAAFX4/kTl_aONuH08yzweTDzV1RjK0RI1ydj98wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/MSH_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>After Captain Savage, Goodman next tried a new costumed character in the pages of </i>Marvel Super-Heroes<i> (in reality, a re-named </i>Fantasy Masterpieces<i>). Initially published to secure the name and prevent others trademarking a superhero with "Marvel" as part of his name, the character would be part of the 1968 Marvel explosion.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And sure enough, in 1968, it was revealed that Goodman had been in talks with Marty Ackerman to sell Magazine Management to Perfect Film and Chemical. Ackerman was also negotiating with Curtis Circulation, which distributed <i>Saturday Evening Post</i> and <i>Ladies Home Journal</i> among others, around the same time. So adding Marvel Comics to that acquisition would have made for a very attractive deal.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Goodman's expansion began more aggressively at the beginning of 1968. <i>Tales of Suspense</i> became <i>Captain America</i> with issue 100 (Apr 1968, on sale 2 Jan); Iron Man and Sub-Mariner were put in a holding book, on sale the same day; <i>Tales to Astonish</i> was renamed <i>Incredible Hulk</i> with issue 102 (Apr 1968, on sale 9 Jan); <i>Iron Man</i> and <i>Sub-Mariner</i> then graduated to their own titles, cover-dated May 1968 (on sale 1 Feb).</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2ISpl5qI7M/Xj_7RWWXnQI/AAAAAAAAFYE/V8oxrErlTkw7THgcu5_-wMTyFKL4pCHSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1968expansion01_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1600" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2ISpl5qI7M/Xj_7RWWXnQI/AAAAAAAAFYE/V8oxrErlTkw7THgcu5_-wMTyFKL4pCHSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1968expansion01_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Tales of Suspense <i>and</i> Tales to Astonish<i> were the first of the Marvel anthology books to be expanded. I was delighted to be getting 20 pages of Kirby </i>Captain America<i> every month and I also couldn't get enough Gene Colan </i>Iron Man<i> ... imagine my disappointment a few months later.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Relentlessly, Marvel kept on going ... <i>Captain Marvel</i> was awarded his own title a week later, also cover-dated May 1968, on sale 8 Feb; June cover-dated additions were <i>Doctor Strange</i> and <i>Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD</i>, both on-sale 1 Mar. The big surprise was Silver Surfer's own new title, cover dated Aug 1968, on sale 1 May. It was a brilliant, if expensive, time for Marvelites.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4z2Tu7ChOI/XkADsALVaEI/AAAAAAAAFYc/Cla2BlKSDhMR8loC1cbDOGMHymebu2CcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1968expansion02_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4z2Tu7ChOI/XkADsALVaEI/AAAAAAAAFYc/Cla2BlKSDhMR8loC1cbDOGMHymebu2CcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1968expansion02_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Captain Marvel<i> was one of my favourites, as I was a major Colan fan. And when Gene took over </i>Doctor Strange<i>, the title really came to life for me. Steranko's </i>SHIELD<i> comics were a delight, but he couldn't sustain the pace and Buscema's artwork on </i>Silver Surfer<i> was just sublime.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The net result was that Stan Lee's top artists were stretched thinly across the range. Jack Kirby would continue to draw <i>Fantastic Four</i> and <i>Thor</i>, and his 11 page <i>Captain America</i> assignment would go up to 20 pages monthly. Sixty pages a month would be tough sledding, even for speed-demon Kirby. Gene Colan would continue with his 20-page <i>Daredevil</i> gig, but his <i>Iron Man</i> would go from 11 pages to 20, and he also had 20 pages of <i>Captain Marvel</i> to draw. He only lasted four issues on that title. Stan would look to Colan in the next few months to take over <i>Doctor Strange</i>, so he also dropped <i>Iron Man</i> with issue 2 - which is where I lost interest in the title. John Buscema would take over <i>Sub-Mariner</i> art from a revolving door of artists - including creator Bill Everett, Werner Roth and even Gene Colan - while continuing to pencil <i>The Avengers</i> - he would add <i>Silver Surfer</i> to his workload a few months later.</span><br />
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<td align="center" colspan="2">1968</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Odd months</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Even Months</strong></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man<br />
Avengers <br />
Captain Marvel<br />
Captain Savage<br />
Daredevil <br />
Doctor Strange<br />
Fantastic Four<br />
Incredible Hulk<br />
Iron Man<br />
Kid Colt Outlaw<br />
Marvel Superheroes<br />
Marvel Tales<br />
Mille the Model<br />
Nick Fury<br />
Sgt Fury<br />
Sub-Mariner<br />
Thor<br />
Two-Gun Kid<br />
X-Men</span></td>
<td style="line-height: 13px;" valign="top"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">Amazing Spider-Man<br />
Avengers <br />
Captain Marvel<br />
Captain Savage<br />
Daredevil<br />
Doctor Strange<br />
Fantastic Four<br />
Incredible Hulk<br />
Iron Man<br />
Marvel Superheroes<br />
Marvel Tales<br />
Mille the Model<br />
Nick Fury<br />
Not Brand Echh<br />
Rawhide Kid<br />
Sgt Fury<br />
Silver Surfer<br />
Sub-Mariner<br />
Thor<br />
X-Men</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>19 slots</strong></span></td>
<td align="center"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>20 slots</strong></span></td>
</tr>
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</table>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But it wouldn't be long before the cracks began to show ... by the beginning of the year, Kirby would relinquish <i>Captain America</i> to Jim Steranko for three glorious issues before Stan began musical artist chairs on the title. For the two following months, John Romita and John Buscema each took a swing at Cap before Stan settled on Gene Colan, who provided pencils from issues 118 to 137. <i>Doctor Strange</i> fared a little better, artwise. After a shaky start with Dan Adkins artwork, Colan took over that one too and powered Marvel's Master of the Mystic Arts through the next 11 issues ... but in May 1969 the title dropped to bi-monthly (along with <i>Captain Savage</i>) and was cancelled with <i>Doctor Strange 183</i> (Nov 1969). For me that was a terrible development, as it was one of my favourite Marvel titles at the time.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">On the <i>SHIELD</i> title, Steranko managed 1 - 3 and 5 before quitting after Stan mistakenly believed Steranko would miss the <i>SHIELD 4</i> (Sep 1968) deadline (he didn't) and hired veteran Frank Springer to draw a fill-in issue. My 14 year-old self wasn't impressed. The title limped along till the end of 1969, when it was cancelled with issue 15 (Nov 1969). And 1969's final casualty was <i>Captain Marvel</i>, suspended as of issue 19 (Dec 1969). But by that time, Goodman had sold Marvel Comics to Marty Ackerman for $15 million, so he didn't care. Ackerman didn't care either, as he'd paid Goodman far less than what Magazine Management was worth.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the very next entry in this blog, I'll look into the prevailing wisdom that:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Stan Lee invented the "Marvel Method" of creating comics</li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Stan Lee was fed up with kids comics so he came up with <i>Fantastic Four</i>.</span></li>
</ul>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Next time: More musings on Marvel Myths</b></span>
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AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-65503785041750432632020-01-09T06:28:00.002-08:002021-03-18T05:30:43.819-07:00Marvel's Weird One-Shots (or, Hey ... where's issue 2?)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>THE SECOND HALF OF THE 1960s</b> was a strange time for Marvel Comics. Stan Lee had established a strong line of comic books by 1966, and was less restricted by distributor Independent News' eight-titles-a-month rule. With a roster of 20 titles, many of them monthly, Martin Goodman was also sneaking in Annuals (which seemed to be exempt from the distributors' monthly limit) and some puzzling one-shots.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have no recollection of when I first saw <i>Marvel Super-Heroes 1</i> (Oct 1966). And back when I was twelve, it never occurred to me to question <i>why</i> a comic was published. I'm sure I would have thought it was simply a companion magazine to the other giant comics I loved so much, <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2018/11/collectors-item-classics-from-marvel.html"><i>Marvel Tales</i> and <i>Marvel Collectors' Item Classics</i></a>. Expensive though they were at 1/6, almost double the price of a regular comic, they provided me and many other Marvel latecomers easy access to the earliest Marvel stories. I think at the time I had already picked up <i>Avengers 2</i> and <i>Daredevil 1</i> from one of the second-hand shops I haunted, so for me the big draw with <i>MSH1</i> was the reprint of the Golden Age Human Torch and Sub-Mariner battle from <i>Marvel Mystery Comics 8</i> (Jun 1940).</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6dwgdszX9A/Xf-H16kPtiI/AAAAAAAAFTI/2KGKkGaYknQDlrFS3utiFbrxscenVp9KwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/msh001_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6dwgdszX9A/Xf-H16kPtiI/AAAAAAAAFTI/2KGKkGaYknQDlrFS3utiFbrxscenVp9KwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/msh001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The casual observer would be hard pressed to know why Stan Lee had put together a comic that reprinted the first issue of </i>Daredevil<i> (then a little over two years old) along with the second issue of </i>The Avengers<i> </i>(Avengers 1 <i>had been reprinted in </i>Marvel Tales 2<i> the year before).</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ever since reading in <i>Fantastic Four 4</i> (May 1962) that there had been <i>Sub-Mariner</i> comics in the 1940s, I'd been intrigued to know what they were like. And here was Stan showing us not only some pages from the Golden Age of Comics, but also his first text story from <i>Captain America 3</i> (May 1941). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To be honest, the Golden Age was a bit of a disappointment to my 12 year old self. Even at that age, I could grasp the historical importance, but I thought the actual comic strip was crudely drawn - I mean, I thought I could have done better myself - and was badly written. Not like the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby tales I was reading in the contemporary Marvels. And from there on, I never really warmed to the comics of the 1940s.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">None of this explains, however, what the <i>point</i> of <i>Marvel Super-Heroes 1</i> was. Despite promising in the small print that the title would be published quarterly, the second issue never appeared. And I didn't find out the answer to that until fairly recently. Because what we fans couldn't know was that Marvel publisher Martin Goodman had ordered Stan Lee to get a comic on the newsstands called <i>Marvel Super-Heroes</i> to promote the forthcoming September 1966 release of the syndicated Marvel Super-Heroes tv show.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOtjU0A3P2E/Xf-O3zAse-I/AAAAAAAAFTU/Z1N6GAmDMvkBZVUOjHQpfnvAGIzNoNDyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Marvel-super-heroes-ad-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="500" height="277" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOtjU0A3P2E/Xf-O3zAse-I/AAAAAAAAFTU/Z1N6GAmDMvkBZVUOjHQpfnvAGIzNoNDyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Marvel-super-heroes-ad-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Here's one of the ads that ran in Marvel comics for the Marvel Super-Heroes syndicated television cartoon show. No sign of Daredevil here. I wonder what Stan was thinking ...</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the comic came out in July 1966 (in the US), to promote a show that debuted in the autumn of 1966 on American television and because the comic didn't even carry an ad for the show, we had no way of knowing in the UK that the two had anything to do with one another. Stan didn't even explain the connection in the Bullpen Bulletins page for October 1966, when he announced the <i>MSH</i> comic. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--hjyPT8GlBc/XgSA4FxwrKI/AAAAAAAAFTg/ksmuZjH004s36Yv6V_dBPkmk5cGZGyCWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bullpen_10-66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="806" height="105" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--hjyPT8GlBc/XgSA4FxwrKI/AAAAAAAAFTg/ksmuZjH004s36Yv6V_dBPkmk5cGZGyCWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Bullpen_10-66.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>From Stan's wording here, it does sound like </i>Marvel Super-Heroes<i> was planned as an ongoing title, but its slot was taken by </i>Fantasy Masterpieces<i>, which eventually underwent a title change to </i>Marvel Super-Heroes<i> anyway. <b>Click on image to enlarge.</b></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This could have been because Martin Goodman didn't want any info about the forthcoming tv show leaked too early. Stan plugged the show in the very next Bullpen Bulletins page in the November cover-dated issues. Then, a year later, Marvel would change <i>Fantasy Masterpieces</i>, a title reprinting mostly Golden Age and Atomic Age Marvel characters, into a comic that would showcase new characters under consideration for their own titles. Stan called it <i>Marvel Super-Heroes</i>.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wcf2-fH08C8/XgSH5QOIuhI/AAAAAAAAFTs/dSL3iUuo2-0Ef_5dAns124YTyu2ktXLmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/msh012_12-67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wcf2-fH08C8/XgSH5QOIuhI/AAAAAAAAFTs/dSL3iUuo2-0Ef_5dAns124YTyu2ktXLmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/msh012_12-67.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The first try-out in the newly revamped </i>Fantasy Masterpieces<i> was for Captain Marvel. There would be more, but only the above Kree warrior would go on to have his own series from 1968 to 1979, which would cement the reputation of Jim Starlin as a top writer-artist and give us Thanos as a major Marvel villain.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During the negotiations for the Marvel Super-Heroes show, Martin Goodman had held back Spider-Man and Fantastic Four from consideration, because I suppose he figured he could get a better deal for those characters if the 1966 Super-Heroes show did well. It must have worked, because in 1967, Marvel announced that network ABC would be screening Spider-Man and Fantastic Four cartoons as part of their Saturday morning show, "Hannah-Barbera's World of Super Adventure". The Fantastic Four cartoon was produced by Hannah-Barbera, and I'm presuming this made for better quality of animation than the low-budget, limited animation we got with the Marvel Super-Heroes show. I'm saying "presume" because I've never seen any episodes. That's right, the series was never screened in the UK and wasn't released on DVD, as the Hannah-Barbera catalogue is owned by Warner Brothers - who probably don't want to be promoting Marvel characters in competition with their own DC properties. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-an94VEusMug/XgTSnt91lKI/AAAAAAAAFT4/4jmRp3mviPkMOYEamjcLNXITr7VDo0kkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/saturday_cartoons_1967.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="720" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-an94VEusMug/XgTSnt91lKI/AAAAAAAAFT4/4jmRp3mviPkMOYEamjcLNXITr7VDo0kkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/saturday_cartoons_1967.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>This ad appeared in the November-dated Marvel comics during 1967 (which would have been on sale in August), though the cartoons were mentioned in the Bullpen Bulletins page in the October-dated Marvels.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Spider-Man half of the hour slot was produced by Grantray-Lawrence and wasn't much better quality animation than that of the MSH show they had also produced. <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2015/07/spins-web-any-size.html">I wrote a little about the show in an earlier blog</a>, so I won't rehash that here ... but as with Marvel Super-Heroes, Martin Goodman hatched a plan to promote both Marvel Comics and the Marvel cartoons with a special one-shot mag, <i>America's Best TV Comics 1</i> (Nov 1967).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though it wasn't branded as such, the comic was produced by the Marvel Bullpen and featured - front and centre - a severely edited Spider-Man story (reprinting just ten story pages from <i>Amazing Spider-Man 42</i>) and another ten pages from <i>Fantastic Four 19</i>.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21_IWycZgMs/XgTYpRh65wI/AAAAAAAAFUE/iZ1A3lIoiow8RG4Trgh57yfQr01CnF-3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/AmBestTV001_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="1200" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21_IWycZgMs/XgTYpRh65wI/AAAAAAAAFUE/iZ1A3lIoiow8RG4Trgh57yfQr01CnF-3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/AmBestTV001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Though not branded as such, </i>America's Best TV Comics<i> was certainly a Bullpen Production, mostly under the watchful eye of key Marvel production man Sol Brodsky. There's evidence of Paul Reinman, Frank Giacoia and Bill Everett art inside.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The rest of the comic was filled out with a Casper the Friendly Ghost reprint, and some specially commissioned strips featuring George of the Jungle, Journey to the Center of the Earth and King Kong, by various members of the Marvel art staff. Sixty-four pages of comics for 25c ... and no ads. And no Beatles, probably due to contract issues, or perhaps the fact that the cartoon feature <i>Yellow Submarine</i> was either under way, or about to start production, and the loveable Moptops were keeping their options open. I'm pretty sure this wasn't distributed in the UK, and I picked up my copy at a London Comics Convention some time in the late 1970s.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-547AERYBdjY/XgTiPmAiiLI/AAAAAAAAFUQ/-joYOjw7U0wlUqnohcSkAqjv_t-ft7S7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DaredevilAnn001_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-547AERYBdjY/XgTiPmAiiLI/AAAAAAAAFUQ/-joYOjw7U0wlUqnohcSkAqjv_t-ft7S7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/DaredevilAnn001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I bought this comic off the spinner rack in 1967 and it was worth every penny of the 1/6 price tag. Not only did Daredevil battle six of his most dangerous enemies across 39 pages of story, there were cracking back-up features about DD, all illustrated by the brilliant Gene Colan.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Around the same time, Marvel prepared another one-shot, the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Daredevil Annual 1</i> (Sep 1967). OK, technically an Annual isn't a one-shot, but in all fairness the second (all-reprint) issue didn't appear until 1971 - well outside the fabled Silver Age of comics and therefore in my book doesn't count!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The comic essentially tried to invoke the same magic as the frankly fabulous <i>Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1</i> from 1964. And to be fair, with the incredible Gene Colan artwork it almost managed it. The main story was a rattling good read at 39 pages of all-new Gene Colan art, and at the time Colan was my absolute favourite Marvel artist. Backing that up were 16 pages of pinups and behind-the-scenes explanations of how DD's billy club works, and like that.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IMdDH1xng30/XgoDiNdDbYI/AAAAAAAAFUc/b-9p4e18WT0-a18W1ntI8tQvefaiUzvMACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DaredevilAnn001_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IMdDH1xng30/XgoDiNdDbYI/AAAAAAAAFUc/b-9p4e18WT0-a18W1ntI8tQvefaiUzvMACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/DaredevilAnn001_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The pinups in the </i>Daredevil Annual<i> were pretty darn good. The Daredevil pinup was iconic and as a 13 year-old, I was especially taken with the portrait of Karen Page ... Colan always did draw gorgeous girls</i>.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Beyond the comics it published in 1967, Marvel was affected by other big changes in the industry. The first was that National Periodical Publications (it didn't officially change its name to "DC Comics" until 1971) was bought by Kinney National, a car park company that had money to invest. They would later also buy Warner Brothers-Seven Arts. This was important to Martin Goodman's operation because National Periodicals also owned Independent News, the company that distributed Goodman's magazines and comics ... and it was National's Jack Liebowitz who maintained the limiting stranglehold over the number of titles Marvel could put on the newsstands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can't be sure, but it seems pretty likely to me that someone at Kinney looked over the sales figures of Marvel and thought, "Why the heck are we limiting these guys? They could be selling millions more comics for us if we just let them!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As mentioned at the end of <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-inhumans-part-2-stardom-beckons.html">my October 2019 post</a>, according to the audited ABC magazine sales figures, by the beginning of 1967, Marvel was beginning to edge in front of DC in sales. So it's likely that the bean-counters at Kinney removed the restrictions, paving the way for Marvel's expansion at the end of 1967 and into 1968, beginning with the Marvel anthology titles <i>Tales to Astonish</i>, <i>Strange Tales</i> and <i>Tales of Suspense</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For years I wondered why Martin Goodman structured the expansion of the anthology titles the way he did. I've laid out a plan of the 1968 expansion in the below table so you can see at a glance how <i>Suspense</i>, <i>Astonish</i> and <i>Strange Tales</i> were converted to single character titles.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0">
<colgroup><col width="247"></col>
<col span="12" width="60"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="background-color: #009ae4; color: white; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<td></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Jan</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Feb</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mar</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Apr</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">May</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Jun</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Jul</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Aug</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sep</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Oct</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Nov</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Dec</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align: center;">
<td style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tales of Suspense</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">97</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">98</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">99</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align: center;">
<td style="text-align: left;" width="247"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Captain America</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">100</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">101</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">102</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">103</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">104</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">105</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">106</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">107</span></td>
<td width="60"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">108</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align: center;">
<td style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Iron Man</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">4</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">5</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">6</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align: center;">
<td style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Iron Man & Subby</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align: center;">
<td style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tales to Astonish</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">99</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">100</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">101</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align: center;">
<td style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sub-Mariner</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">4</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">5</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">6</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align: center;">
<td style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hulk</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">102</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">103</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">104</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">105</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">106</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">107</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">108</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">109</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">110</span></td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align: center;">
<td style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Strange Tales</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">164</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">165</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">166</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">167</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">168</span></td>
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<td style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Doctor Strange</span></td>
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<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">169</span></td>
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<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">174</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">175</span></td>
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<td style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Nick Fury</span></td>
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<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1</span></td>
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<td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In April, <i>Tales of Suspense</i> was retitled <i>Captain America</i> and <i>Tales to Astonish</i> became <i>The Incredible Hulk</i>. Now to my 13 year old way of thinking, Marvel should have put Iron Man and Sub-Mariner immediately into their own titles. But Martin Goodman was likely much more savvy when it came to newsstand distribution, so he held the <i>Iron Man</i> and <i>Sub-Mariner</i> titles back a month. I'm now guessing he did that so as not to stretch the pocket money of his young customers too thin in a single month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, that would have left Marvel readers without an Iron Man or a Sub-Mariner story in April 1968 ... so Goodman simply put a new comic on the schedule ... the one-shot <i>Iron Man and Sub-Mariner 1</i>.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikFFqkMkAI8/XgsI0iScdfI/AAAAAAAAFUo/ErcGfCPP1hwa43Wsu9zQDg5eyrYz46acQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/imsubby001_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikFFqkMkAI8/XgsI0iScdfI/AAAAAAAAFUo/ErcGfCPP1hwa43Wsu9zQDg5eyrYz46acQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/imsubby001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Iron Man and Sub-Mariner 1 <i>had wall-to-wall Gene Colan art, so that was an excellent reason to buy it ... also the stories continued right on from </i>Tales of Suspense 99<i> and </i>Tales to Astonish 101<i>.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately for Editor Stan, both the Iron Man and Subby tales were right in the middle of a story arc, so it wasn't possible to do a special Iron Man/Subby battle or team-up issue along the lines of <i>Tales to Astonish 100</i> (Feb 1968). This also makes me suspect that Goodman's decision to expand the three anthology titles into six comics was likely quite a sudden one. So Stan had to find a way to continue the storylines and yet still fit in with Goodman's staggered launch approach for Sub-Mariner, Iron Man, Doctor Strange and Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1RbGL49NAdw/Xgs7gCEPIwI/AAAAAAAAFU0/Ovax90WjhOM6FzK6dNvPkVnCS9gbPSMQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bulletin_Apr1968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1RbGL49NAdw/Xgs7gCEPIwI/AAAAAAAAFU0/Ovax90WjhOM6FzK6dNvPkVnCS9gbPSMQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Bulletin_Apr1968.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>This was how Stan announced the expansion of the Marvel line in the early months of 1968 ... a little cryptically, it's true, but it's not hard to guess what would be happening after the appearance of </i>Iron Man and Sub-Mariner 1. <i>Stan's also talking up </i>Not Brand Echh<i> and the forthcoming </i>Captain Marvel<i> title.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And he did that by cramming two 11-page instalments of the Iron Man and the Sub-Mariner story arcs into one regular-size comic mag. The following month, both characters would get their own titles ... but for comic readers in the UK, the spotty distribution meant that I picked up both <i>IM&Subby 1</i> and <i>Iron Man 1</i> (May 1968) off the same spinner rack at the same time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later the same year, I came across the 68 page giant <i>Tales of Asgard 1</i> (Oct 1968). This simply packaged up the "Tales of Asgard" back-up strips from <i>Journey Into Mystery 97 - 106</i> in a double-sized 25c package. I'm really not sure what the point of that was ... the back-up strip had been chopped out of Thor's ongoing comic with issue 145, replaced in <i>Thor 146</i> with The Inhumans. When that mini-series came to an end, the main Thor strip was expanded to 20 pages to fill the comic. Was Stan - or possibly Martin Goodman - testing the waters to see if the readers wanted "Tales of Asgard" back? Certainly, <i>Thor</i> was the best-selling of the former anthology titles (averaging 295,000 copies a month during 1968, compared with the next best-selling, <i>Astonish</i> at a tad under 278,000).</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gNEND6JD0ds/XgtONZmjXiI/AAAAAAAAFVA/Zoo8WKxHkJ8pQGNKyD3ZzDBY9be0lLj0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/TalesAsgard001_10-68.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gNEND6JD0ds/XgtONZmjXiI/AAAAAAAAFVA/Zoo8WKxHkJ8pQGNKyD3ZzDBY9be0lLj0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/TalesAsgard001_10-68.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>As promising as the cover was, </i>Tales of Asgard<i> was just a bunch of reprints from the old </i>Journey into Mystery <i>comics of the early 1960s. What a shame Jack Kirby didn't get to do a full-on epic length version of Ragnarok, instead.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whatever the reason, the comic remained a one-shot (it was billed that way in the mag's indicia), and we wouldn't see "Tales of Asgard" again for a very long time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That same month, Marvel published the first <i>Hulk Special</i>, another mag that wouldn't have a second issue - at least not for several years, and all-reprint, at that. (<i>Edit</i> - Kid Robson has pointed out that the second <i>Hulk Special</i> did appear just a year later. It just seemed a lot longer to my tweenage self.)</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dnuVRq0HxX0/XgtRzp-UDcI/AAAAAAAAFVM/H0ZqhNDJcFoVpG1nBITuQe4C9dP98F3DwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hulkspec01_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="825" height="293" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dnuVRq0HxX0/XgtRzp-UDcI/AAAAAAAAFVM/H0ZqhNDJcFoVpG1nBITuQe4C9dP98F3DwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hulkspec01_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I never get tired of looking at this ... one of Stan's less-successful editorial decisions was getting Marie Severin to redraw the Hulk's face on Jim Steranko's overnight cover art he did for the </i>Hulk King-Size Special 1 <i>when Dan Adkins couldn't deliver the job to deadline.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I won't go too much into the content of <i>Hulk King-Size Special 1</i> (Oct 1968), as I covered it in some detail both in the <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2016/09/i-said-dont-mess-with-logo.html">"Messing with the Cover" entry in this blog</a> and in <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-inhumans-part-2-stardom-beckons.html">the more recent Inhumans entry</a>, just a couple of months back. The story was a mammoth 51 pages, a record I believe for a single story at the time, which left little room for any back-up features. Also, that job kept penciller Marie Severin away from the regular monthly <i>Hulk</i> title, opening the way for newcomer Herb Trimpe to take over, a strip he would later become inextricably linked with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And that was pretty much it for Marvel one-shots in the Silver Age. As the 1960s drew to a close, and Martin Goodman was edged ever-closer to the door by Marvel's new owners, Perfect Film and Chemical, the company aggressively expanded the line, looking to crowd DC Comics and other competitors off the newsstands, stretching themselves thin and compromising the quality of the content in the longer term ... but that's a story for another time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Next: Exposed - Myths of the Marvel Silver Age</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-3450756142140915912019-11-30T09:06:00.001-08:002023-02-16T08:57:21.033-08:00Separated at Birth 3 - more comic cover cliches<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>I LOVE COMIC BOOK COVERS</b>, especially those of the 1950s and 1960s. And because I look at so many, I can't help but notice trends, tropes and cliches in the cover concepts of the decade of my childhood. By far the worst offender was DC Comics, the company that was my introduction to American comic books. But as they were firmly aimed at 10-year-olds, they can be forgiven for assuming readers in 1958 wouldn't be readers in 1963. For my part, I began switching over to Marvel Comics around 1964, and later back-filled the issues I'd missed, so I probably only followed DC for about three years.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But here, then, another batch of oft-repeated comic cover idea from DC Comics, with the occasional offering from Marvel. Let's start with ...</span><br /><br />
<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">LION'S-HEAD REVISITED</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, DC's dark overlord Mort Weisinger struggled to know what to do with the omnipotent character Superman had become. So he manufactured a whole supporting mythology around DC's superstar hero - Kandor, The Phantom Zone, Red Kryptonite, and so on - and made exposure of Superman's secret identity the single biggest threat to the character. Oh, and weird transformations. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DD_kC5nPqNY/XdaiidYldbI/AAAAAAAAFP0/3e2iuCvlJ6QYKe6FMQBoXo5R6wW4ZRJhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Action243_SM165_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="1244" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DD_kC5nPqNY/XdaiidYldbI/AAAAAAAAFP0/3e2iuCvlJ6QYKe6FMQBoXo5R6wW4ZRJhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Action243_SM165_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>As weird transformations go, sticking a lion's head on Superman is up there ... so much so that five years later, DC published a sequel. Because weirder is better. In a kind of cockeyed variation, </i>Action Comics 240<i> (May 1958) gave us a (stone) lion with Superman's head.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Of course there's only so many transformations Superman can undergo, so it's inevitable that occasionally we'd get repeats. Like having his head replaced with a lion's. 'Cos that really believable, right? <i>Action Comics 243</i> (Aug 1958) presented a tale in which Superman turns down an impulsive marriage proposal from the descendent of Greek sorceress Circe and is punished by being transformed into a human lion. Turns out Circe's technology is Kryptonian and Otto Binder and Wayne Boring's tale tries, a little unsuccessfully, to mine a "Beauty and the Beast" theme. Five years later, DC offered a sequel, sort of, in <i>Superman 165</i> (Nov 1963). This later story, by Robert Bernstein and Curt Swan, takes the core idea and reworks it. But some of the references to the earlier tale don't quite fit the facts, and it turns out to be another Mort Weisinger hoax tale and not an actual appearance by the real Circe at all. Such was the way of early 1960s Superman Family titles.</span><br /><br />
<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">LET'S GIVE THEM A BIG HAND</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Another widespread cover concept was the "Giant Hand from Nowhere". This oddball cliche turned up on many DC fantasy covers during the early Silver Age, but also - with a slightly different spin - on some later Silver Age Marvel covers.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mh9p6pbzvRQ/XeDviDCEv1I/AAAAAAAAFQI/q98n9lAwreAfWwxI32CJAI7tyNUm9ar3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BigHands_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="1257" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mh9p6pbzvRQ/XeDviDCEv1I/AAAAAAAAFQI/q98n9lAwreAfWwxI32CJAI7tyNUm9ar3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/BigHands_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><b>The stories behind the covers: </b>though they appear very similar, the tales in these comics are quite different. In </i>My Greatest Adventure 32<i> (May 1959) the hand from another dimension is just trying to retrieve its property and the destruction is collateral. In </i>Strange Adventures 110<i> (Nov 1959), the hand belongs to a benign alien obsessed with saving an Earthman and the hand in </i>Batman 146<i> (Mar 1962) is a hoax.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Titles like <i>My Greatest Adventure</i> and <i>Strange Adventures</i> presented mild horror and science fiction tales in which square-jawed Earthmen combatted the oddest threats from inner space, outer space and other dimensions. More than once, these menaces were big hands from Elsewhere ... sometimes attached to a giant, sometimes not.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Sometimes the horror wasn't mild enough. Back in 1956, a year or two into the rule of the Comics Code Authority, Stan Lee tried his own take of the giant hand story. It was cover-featured on <i>Astonishing 50</i> (Jun 1956). The Code deemed the cover too horrific for young impressionable minds and insisted that the giant arm be given a suit sleeve and a wristwatch ... because that's much less frightening, right? Even if the scene on the cover <i>had</i> appeared in the actual story, the Code revisions would have been rendered even more nonsensical as this was supposed to the giant arm of a jungle native.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pRZJu7emiLk/XeEKcpB-s1I/AAAAAAAAFQU/yL7JtSIQpkER1NO73ONdhiCFuVvsUxWYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BigHands_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="871" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pRZJu7emiLk/XeEKcpB-s1I/AAAAAAAAFQU/yL7JtSIQpkER1NO73ONdhiCFuVvsUxWYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/BigHands_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The people who live in the Fantastic City are way too scary for readers of 1950s comics, so the Atlas production department altered Carl Burgos' art to put a business suit on arm of this giant denizen of the asian jungles. Somehow, the Alan Class reprint of this cover used the original, unaltered version, so we lucky comics historians get to see both the original and the re-touched art.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Later on in the 1960s, the giant hands showed no signs of going away. DC comics continued to feature the occasional giant hand and Marvel too used the idea, although in a more symbolic way.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s6hFh-RaTcg/XeEMIAJWWtI/AAAAAAAAFQg/P6N4HeE6FBUOkyPKTrp4SPh2NV2thcjGACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BigHands_montage03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="1270" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s6hFh-RaTcg/XeEMIAJWWtI/AAAAAAAAFQg/P6N4HeE6FBUOkyPKTrp4SPh2NV2thcjGACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/BigHands_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The </i>Action Comics<i> cover fronts a Wayne Boring story about a giant robot, written by a young Jim Shooter. The </i>Amazing Spider-Man<i> cover scene is in the comic - they're also giant robotic hands. The </i>Avengers <i>cover is purely symbolic and isn't found in the story.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">By the time we got to 1966, Superman was going through a bit of a rocky patch. Doubtless there were reasons why Weisinger brought back artists like Wayne Boring and Al Plastino to draw the lead Superman feature in <i>Action Comics</i>, but even to my 12 year eye, their respective drawing styles seemed to belong to the previous decade. The front cover image is almost certain to be a Weisinger idea that apprentice scripter Jim Shooter had to write a story around. It's not very good. The Spider-Man cover is deliberately misleading. The story would have us believe Spider-Man has been shrunk to six inches tall by Mysterio. But anyone who knows the villain would realise he's former special effects guy, so it's unlikely that Spider has really been miniaturised.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">ALIEN BIRDMEN</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">OK this one's a bit of a cheat, because both examples are by the same artist ... the brilliant Gil Kane. No one typified the house style at DC better than Kane. Always at his best when paired with slick inkers, like Joe Giella and Murphy Anderson, Kane had a bit of a blind spot when it came to aliens.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6T24sAi8HI/XeEVsQM_ZsI/AAAAAAAAFQs/lacFnhqNiXwiwUNTkDYFNQPblM3uly1ewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/birdmen_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1238" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6T24sAi8HI/XeEVsQM_ZsI/AAAAAAAAFQs/lacFnhqNiXwiwUNTkDYFNQPblM3uly1ewCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/birdmen_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The birdman alien on the cover of </i>Strange Adventures 67<i> (Apr 1956) is by Gil Kane and Joe Giella and the birdman on the cover of </i>Green Lantern 6<i> (May 1961) is by ... Gil Kane and Joe Giella. That's a pretty goofy background alien on the GL cover, too. But even though I was a confirmed Marvel fan by 1967, I still was able to admire Murphy Anderson's take on Hawkman.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">These birdman examples are typical of Kane's goofiness. I thought the idea of giant hawks with human heads battling a man with a hawk's head in <i>Hawkman 18</i> (Feb 1967) a far more intriguing idea.</span>
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">HIKING HIGH-RISES</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Who wouldn't be captured by the thought of a building that just ups and strolls around? Certainly not comics readers. The idea must've worked for DC, because they used the concept more than once.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pw4u2Aiv_1Q/XeEY8aiWMsI/AAAAAAAAFQ4/B_rPOgrrGL8c3NyRshRA1HhZIwkwW5AdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/building_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="840" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pw4u2Aiv_1Q/XeEY8aiWMsI/AAAAAAAAFQ4/B_rPOgrrGL8c3NyRshRA1HhZIwkwW5AdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/building_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>It seemed to be a pattern, didn't it? Julie Schwartz would come up with an outrageous science fiction concept for one of his fantasy titles, then a short time later Mort Weisinger would steal the idea for his line of Superman comics. I sure hope DC Publisher Irwin Donenfeld wasn't fooled by Weisinger's shenanigans. </i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The first time was on the cover of <i>Strange Adventures 72</i> (Sep 1956) for a story by John Broome and Sid Greene that has aliens giving a movie producer a preview of their invasion plans. So spectacularly daft was the idea that Mort Weisinger pilfered it a year later and reworked the whole Living Building thing into a Superman cover for <i>Action Comics 234</i> (Nov 1957).</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">GORILLA TACTICS</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One of DC Editor Julius Schwartz's favourite gimmicks was the intelligent gorilla. Obviously, he had some kind or research or intelligence that "proved" to him that gorillas on the covers of comics sold. Or maybe he just monitored the sales and drew that conclusion for himself. Whatever the reason, it seemed that every other </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Strange Adventures</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> cover featured a smart ape.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lAZH63bXxm8/XeEqxhmFLzI/AAAAAAAAFRE/FXCP7vLGGkApERHE8qGatNMpV6va-73QACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gorilla_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1244" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lAZH63bXxm8/XeEqxhmFLzI/AAAAAAAAFRE/FXCP7vLGGkApERHE8qGatNMpV6va-73QACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gorilla_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Gorillas with human brains and intelligent gorillas would be a common concept in Schwartz's covers. In this series of three, the gorilla is restrained in a chair, which indicates to me that this is Julie recycling cover ideas.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The earliest appearance I could find was <i>Strange Adventures 8</i> (May 1951). Legend has it that Schwartz put a gorilla on the cover and Publisher Irwin Donenfeld was delighted at the bump in sales. He asked Schwartz to repeat the idea. Pretty soon, all the DC editors wanted to put gorillas on their covers, and Donenfeld had to limit them to one gorilla per month. It's a great story, but the evidence doesn't really bear it out. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W6pM2WRVOr8/XeE0SeSTq0I/AAAAAAAAFRQ/65L0A_hnpdQetoQRmnHiowI5bI8fKJo7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gorilla_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1270" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W6pM2WRVOr8/XeE0SeSTq0I/AAAAAAAAFRQ/65L0A_hnpdQetoQRmnHiowI5bI8fKJo7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gorilla_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The idea of smart gorillas subjugating humans was a common trope in </i>Strange Adventures<i>, pre-dating 1963's Monkey Planet novel by Pierre Boulle, which would also form the basis for the cult 1960s movie, </i>Planet of the Apes. </span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There are a few gorilla covers on other DC comics of the early 1950s, but it was on <i>Strange Adventures</i> that the idea would crop up again and again, then abruptly stopped around 1960. The variations on a theme would include intelligent gorillas, criminal gorillas, intelligent criminal gorillas and technologically advanced gorillas. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Had gorillas suddenly become old hat? Had they stopped selling comics? Or was Schwartz just fed up with them?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3FxRr_AsMEE/XeFTlfZqKvI/AAAAAAAAFRc/88CmV5wP-OU7tbQ-JP65YZSCG7SXk-RxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gorilla_montage03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1278" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3FxRr_AsMEE/XeFTlfZqKvI/AAAAAAAAFRc/88CmV5wP-OU7tbQ-JP65YZSCG7SXk-RxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gorilla_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Criminal gorillas was another idea that would crop up more than once in Schwartz' fantasy titles, especially </i>Strange Adventures<i>. He liked the idea so much that he would use it in his later superhero titles as well.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Well, not quite ... Schwartz would give the idea another try in his revived superhero titles of the late 1950s, pitting The Flash against the super-intelligent gorilla, Grodd, but as the second half of the 1960s swung around, the idea seemed to completely fall out of favour and disappear.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ckcphlpbf0c/XeJKd_g4_lI/AAAAAAAAFRo/rD9o52WNW6suSiKINFuHKkLYFPUKIsR0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gorilla_montage07.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1240" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ckcphlpbf0c/XeJKd_g4_lI/AAAAAAAAFRo/rD9o52WNW6suSiKINFuHKkLYFPUKIsR0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gorilla_montage07.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>One of the best of the early </i>Flash<i> villains was Gorilla Grodd, a renegade from a race of super-intelligent gorillas living in an advanced city in the African jungles. The character would enjoy a long career in various DC comics and appeared in the live action Flash TV show in 2014. 1964's </i>Doom Patrol 86<i> also featured a gorilla foe.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Even if Julius Schartz was tired of gorillas, they did crop up in some of Mort Weisinger's titles right through into the late 1960s. Never really one for sophistication, Weisinger would often use gorillas, or people changing into gorillas, as comedy relief.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fn75AXgG4Cg/XeJN8On8GJI/AAAAAAAAFR0/51o5BSA1KWULXu2vrdHs0DOoXhGK7q0jgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gorilla_montage04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="1258" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fn75AXgG4Cg/XeJN8On8GJI/AAAAAAAAFR0/51o5BSA1KWULXu2vrdHs0DOoXhGK7q0jgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gorilla_montage04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>In </i>Adventure Comics 219<i> (Dec 1955), a gorilla chances to drink water contaminated with kryptonite and develops x-ray vision. Those kinds of coincidences were commonplace in Otto Binder stories. Later in life, Superman encountered more than one super-powered gorilla.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">We'd also see the occasional super-gorilla. The first super-ape was yet another survivor from Krypton, who'd landed on Earth as a baby and was brought up by kindly gorillas in the African jungle. As he grew up, Supergorilla became protector of the animals and was eventually relocated to a distant uninhabited world - along with other surviving supergorillas from Krypton ... then never heard from again. A couple of years later, Superman discovered another supergorilla, this one a giant about 15 feet tall. The creature turns out to be a Kryptonian scientist, accidentally turned into a gorilla. The cover scene - with the supergorilla dressed in Superman's costume makes for a great cover image, but doesn't actually appear in the story. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0SaoSVmWAcg/XeJOC_nJ0PI/AAAAAAAAFR4/B2gQDj-fVsw0NUl_P1qUPkfVQP-dXwBIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gorilla_montage05.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="1265" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0SaoSVmWAcg/XeJOC_nJ0PI/AAAAAAAAFR4/B2gQDj-fVsw0NUl_P1qUPkfVQP-dXwBIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gorilla_montage05.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>If you think Otto Binder's Titano stories are daft, try reading the E. Nelson Bridwell tale of Superboy and Beppo the super-monkey trading physical forms in the above masterpiece, </i>Superboy 147<i> (Oct 1967).</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Not all super-powered gorillas disappeared into obscurity. One notable exception was the King Kong swipe Titano, who was twenty feet tall and had kryptonite vision. Not technically a gorilla, but a chimp grown to monstrous size by cosmic rays, Titano also (miraculously) had kryptonite vision, which of course he menaces Superman with. Superman renders him harmless and dumps him in the Jurassic era. A year and a half later, Titano is back and causing trouble in Metropolis again. Once more, Superman carts the ape back through the time barrier to live with the prehistoric monsters, just like King Kong.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IvaHFUm0lbY/XeJOMblx8SI/AAAAAAAAFSA/R0aeCv9NcmMXlzn_2QOUuh-VeBvfzvI-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gorilla_montage06.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1251" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IvaHFUm0lbY/XeJOMblx8SI/AAAAAAAAFSA/R0aeCv9NcmMXlzn_2QOUuh-VeBvfzvI-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gorilla_montage06.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The</i> Wonder Woman <i>issue above was before the Andru & Esposito makeover of the the late 1950s, and is just too silly to describe, not helped by very crude Harry Peter art. The tale in </i>Batman 114<i> (Mar 1958) has Batman team up with a smart circus ape to defeat the gang who robbed the circus.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Gorillas also turned up in such unlikely titles as <i>Wonder Woman</i>, <i>Batman</i>, and even in a later Julie Schwartz-edited <i>Detective Comics</i>, issue 339 (May 1965). The Gardner Fox-Carmine Infantino story has an amateur scientist accidentally give a gorilla human intellect and the creature goes on a crime rampage in Gotham City.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Just what it was about gorillas that captured young reader's imagination, I couldn't really say. It wasn't a particular draw for me at that age ... though I have a nostalgic fondness for The Flash's several battles with Gorilla Grodd, and thought Gorilla City was a pretty cool concept. But other than that, the over-use of the idea just seemed a bit silly to me.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9XinG4ceC2U/XeKDkSWkseI/AAAAAAAAFSQ/_fCUCXkivwoBt9E7SiorvCCgUMEXOr_9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/FlyingGorillas_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1266" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9XinG4ceC2U/XeKDkSWkseI/AAAAAAAAFSQ/_fCUCXkivwoBt9E7SiorvCCgUMEXOr_9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/FlyingGorillas_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Julie Schwartz comes up with a great idea - a winged gorilla - then milks it for all it's worth, having several of them as the antagonists in </i>Hawkman<i> 6 (Feb 1965) and </i>16<i> (Oct 1966).</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However, just when you think it can't get any dafter, DC gave us ... flying gorillas. Yes, back in 1961, Julius Schwartz had a story in <i>Strange Adventures 125</i> about gorillas that sport wings and are stealing Earth's atmosphere. As might be expected, the aliens are defeated by a plucky, pipe-smoking scientist. Schwartz would remember the idea and re-tool it to provide a suitable enemy for Hawkman later in the 1960s. </span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">CAGED IN</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Another common image used in early Silver Age comics is that of a human in a cage. Again, the pioneer of this concept was DC editor Julius Schwartz. He'd visit this theme often in the fantasy comics of the mid-1950s, like <i>Strange Adventures</i>, then revive the concept for his early 1960s super-hero books.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2sIR4pNRyU/XeKJ51otu1I/AAAAAAAAFSc/aHh5OVnaRHgZqZygXCuD9uoBL-rM0ALqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/caged_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="1264" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2sIR4pNRyU/XeKJ51otu1I/AAAAAAAAFSc/aHh5OVnaRHgZqZygXCuD9uoBL-rM0ALqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/caged_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The earliest example I found was this cover for </i>Strange Adventures 23<i> (Aug 1952). It would appear eight years later on </i>House of Mystery 102<i> (Sep 1960), and again on </i>Mystery in Space 102 (Sep 1965)<i>, with Adam Strange locked up by hostile robots.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">His friend and colleague Mort Weisinger would also exploit the idea on a number of Superman family titles, from Superman to Legion of Superheroes.</span> Superman in particular would frequently find himself locked in a cage.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HHIdCASQ8Lc/XeKLXkKbY5I/AAAAAAAAFSo/pczHQyjpZzwyptK8o-SxuCNaerOps8QwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/caged_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1257" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HHIdCASQ8Lc/XeKLXkKbY5I/AAAAAAAAFSo/pczHQyjpZzwyptK8o-SxuCNaerOps8QwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/caged_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>It's probably a good idea to take Superman's powers away before you lock him in a cage. In the slightly daft </i>Superboy<i> story in issue </i>96<i>, Pete Ross acquires superpowers and usurps Superboy's place in life. The much later Superman story has a double caged by Superman ... or is it the other way round?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Sometimes, it would be a kryptonite cage because, after all, no normal steel cage is going to hold the Man of Steel. And sometimes it would be some other kind of kryptonite-powered deathtrap. The early Legion story in <i>Adventure Comics 267</i> (Dec 1959) exploits the common feeling of alienation, and has Superboy turned on by his friends, the Legion of Superheroes. Of course, it's all a misunderstanding, and Superboy hasn't really turned into a criminal.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xOm_C9eT8RA/XeKOTij1cOI/AAAAAAAAFS0/kkZAJqlE9MQP8HEsXAzoLrc6_RDjf2JcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/caged_montage04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xOm_C9eT8RA/XeKOTij1cOI/AAAAAAAAFS0/kkZAJqlE9MQP8HEsXAzoLrc6_RDjf2JcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/caged_montage04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The cover for </i>Superman 160<i> (Apr 1963) and the very similar </i>Action Comics 377<i> (Jun 1969) both have a caged Superman being executed by criminals.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I sort of assume the bars of these cages aren't actually fashioned out of kryptonite. Surely, they'd be steel coated with kryptonite paint, wouldn't they? Does anyone know how strong kryptonite is? Should it be indestructible like Superman and therefore completely impossible to carve? Do you actually care?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ayhqBqypmwQ/XeKOZq0VFRI/AAAAAAAAFS4/yGnQqFEt_MMCPJaVyYsmB1-LTwmMyX1LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/caged_montage03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1273" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ayhqBqypmwQ/XeKOZq0VFRI/AAAAAAAAFS4/yGnQqFEt_MMCPJaVyYsmB1-LTwmMyX1LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/caged_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>In </i>Detective Comics 313<i> Batman is trapped in a cage by criminals when he steps onto a giant record player. </i>Adventure Comics 321<i> (Jun 1964) shows Lightning Lad locked up in a cage for apprently betraying Legion secrets to their arch-enemy The Time Trapper, but the trap is Lightning Lad's. And The Hawk family are put in a cage by a well-meaning alien when it thinks the heroes are being hunted by criminals.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Of course, other DC heroes would find themselves in cages, too. Batman fell victim to a flying cage in <i>Detective Comics 313</i> (Mar 1963), in a tale by veteran writer Dave Wood and mainstay Batman artist Sheldon Moldoff. These daft Batman tales would shortly give way to the sleek revamp by Schwartz and Infantino. The locking up of Lightning Lad in a cage is the result of another misunderstanding. In <i>Hawkman 3</i> (Aug 1964), Hawkman and Hawkgirl are caged for their own protection by a "super-intelligent alien bird".</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">THAT ABOUT COVERS IT</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If you think I've unfairly singled out DC Comics for this cornucopia of cannibalised covers, then I can only respond that they were by far the worst culprits of the practice. There's nothing wrong with recycling ideas, I guess, if you're convinced your audience turns over every few years, and you consider publishing comics a business rather than an artform.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But I think that goes to the heart of why DC saw their fortunes decline during the 1960s and upstart Marvel start upwards. Stan said at the time he was creating stories for Marvel that he would find entertaining himself. So he figured, Why abandon your readership every five years when you can just keep them and make the kind of comics they'll like just as much when they're 16 as they did when they were 11. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But DC never quite grasped how they were going wrong and even tried to "DC-ise" Kirby's Fourth World books without even realising what they were doing. And that pretty much sums up why I stopped reading DC comics around 1965 when I was ten and switched almost exclusively to Marvels.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /><b>Next: Weird One-shots</b></span><br />
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AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-78789575985447690762019-10-29T10:16:00.001-07:002021-11-14T11:16:17.699-08:00The Inhumans: Part 2 - Stardom Beckons<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>THERE WAS NO PLAN FOR THE INHUMANS</b>, at least not at first. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had introduced Madam Medusa - unheralded - as a member of the Fantastic Four foe group The Frightful Four. And for eight issues of the <i>Fantastic Four</i> comic - 36 (Mar 1965) to 43 (Oct 1965), Medusa haughtied her way through the stories, coldly collaborating with The Wizard and his team to bring about the defeat and/or demise of the Storm family.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Tea and antipathy - The Frightful Four's dislike of each other is obvious from the start. So why does Medusa hang out with a group of people she despises. In the end, Stan and Jack never really explained that.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">While the other Frightfuls each had a clear motive for doing what they did - mostly being previous foes of Johnny (The Human Torch) Storm in numerous <i>Strange Tales</i> adventures - there was no such reasoning behind Medusa's enmity towards the FF. She was literally a character with no motivation. More importantly, Stan's scripts never even hinted that she had any reason whatsoever for fighting alongside The Wizard et al, <a href="http://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-inhumans-part-1-meet-madam-medusa.html">something I discussed a little last time</a>.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So when Marvel - still operating under DC honcho Jack Liebowitz's distribution constraints - was unable to add two new titles to the lineup - editor Stan Lee decided to include the concepts of The Black Panther and The Inhumans in the <i>Fantastic Four</i> adventures.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As the idea of a solo Inhumans comic wouldn't have been discussed and vetoed until the spring of 1965, I'm calculating that Stan would have told Jack that the characters had to be integrated into FF around June 1965 at the latest, when work on <i>Fantastic Four 44</i> (Nov 1965) was beginning. Medusa first appeared in FF36 (Mar 65), which Kirby would have been drawing in August or September of 1964.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Folding The Inhumans into the <i>Fantastic Four</i> comic wasn't an especially easy task. Stan and Jack only had twenty pages a month to play with, so they could only devote three or four pages an issue to their new characters. They solved this by having Maximus create an impenetrable barrier around the home of the Inhumans, The Great Refuge, so that Johnny (The Human Torch) Storm would be separated from his Inhuman love-interest Crystal.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Back in </i>Fantastic Four 48<i> (Mar 1966), we left The Inhumans trapped behind an impenetrable barrier created by mad Maximus' Atmos Gun ... no way in and no way out. This allows Stan and Jack to play out the drama of The Inhumans separately from the adventures of the FF, with only the slightest overlap ... at least for the time being.</i> </span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This plot device allowed Stan and Jack to use up the ideas that they'd formulated for The Inhumans solo comic, by playing out the Shakespearian twin dramas of Black Bolt and his royal family trying to find a way to escape while combatting the mad machinations of Maximus and showing us Johnny Storm's quest to be reunited with his lost love Crystal.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L4tOOtiR7hk/XarzzWKdcvI/AAAAAAAAFME/NugpEmVRyb09Pee18IaFRAag5G8EFRosACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff054_montage02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1600" height="197" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L4tOOtiR7hk/XarzzWKdcvI/AAAAAAAAFME/NugpEmVRyb09Pee18IaFRAag5G8EFRosACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff054_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>In </i>FF54<i>, the Human Torch takes some time out from his Fantastic-Fouring to set out with his football player pal Wyatt Wingfoot, in a borrowed Wakandan air-ship, to reach his lost love Crystal of the Inhumans.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Along the way, we follow Johnny Storm and his friend Wyatt Wingfoot as they try to breach the barrier and reach the Inhumans - first meeting Prester John, whose Evil Eye weapon may just hold the key to breaching the barrier, then later encounterng Lockjaw, the Inhumans' giant, dimension-hopping dog. But neither of these story-loops really advances the plot, entertaining as they are. So ultimately, Johnny's quest is unsuccessful.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KakiImTdqyI/Xar0IU50RWI/AAAAAAAAFMM/hRkg5PB7G1k6EbB-FgvPSaASin8Zq8aZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff054_montage-01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1600" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KakiImTdqyI/Xar0IU50RWI/AAAAAAAAFMM/hRkg5PB7G1k6EbB-FgvPSaASin8Zq8aZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff054_montage-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Inside the barrier, Medusa and the other Inhumans try to convince crazy Maximus to use his technological knowledge to free them from the negative energy prison separating them from the outside world.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the meantime, on the inside, Black Bolt, Medusa and the other Inhumans try to persuade the hopelessly insane Maximus to raise the barrier. And when that fails, Black Bolt takes matters into his own hands and uses the uncontrollable power of his own voice to shatter the barrier, releasing the Inhumans into our world. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And that pretty much runs from <i>Fantastic Four 52</i> (Sep 1966) until <i>Fantastic Four 61</i> (Apr 1967), when Crystal and Johnny are reunited. From that point on, their own drama concluded, The Inhumans are relegated to the role of guest stars in the Fantastic Four's comic. But they're pretty good guest stars.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The saga of The Inhumans coils its way through ten issues of the </i>Fantastic Four<i> comic, mostly in the background and unheralded on the majority of the covers, but it's a significant presence nonetheless. Once the political conflict between Black Bolt and Maximus is done, Stan and Jack seem uncertain where to take the characters next.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In <i>Fantastic Four 62</i> (May 1967), after Reed Richards is accidentally launched into the Negative Zone - a mysterious region not unlike one of Doctor Strange's mystical dimensions and not be confused with the Negative Zone that surrounded the Inhuman's Great Refuge - Triton of The Inhumans comes to his aid.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x9zTMJSyDuA/XasB8EcTeuI/AAAAAAAAFMk/1Xh7wBl_KzMHmR5zjjZOt0svRjj7uUTdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff062_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x9zTMJSyDuA/XasB8EcTeuI/AAAAAAAAFMk/1Xh7wBl_KzMHmR5zjjZOt0svRjj7uUTdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff062_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>In </i>FF62<i>, it's the Inhuman Triton who enters the Negative Zone in an attempt to rescue Reed Richards ... in all fairness, Stan could have chosen any number of characters. Was he just trying to keep The Inhumans on the readers' radar?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Triton hangs around long enough to help the FF battle Negative Zone escapee Blastaar and his new-found partner-in-crime The Sandman. But being that this is the Fantastic Four's comic, they finally manage to defeat their enemies on their own.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>We all think Stan and Jack are giving us a bit of a rest from the Inhumans for a bit, but with the introduction of The Kree - an advanced alien race who visited Earth millennia before - we're being set up for further Inhumans back story and a lot more besides</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Fantastic Four 64</i> (Jul 1967) introduces a new - but related - foe for the FF. With Crystal increasingly present in the Baxter Building, Reed, Sue and Ben take off for a short vacation, leaving Johnny in New York. And on a remote desert island they meet an ancient Sentry robot, left on Earth eons before by an advanced race called The Kree.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Sentry is awakened when a couple of archeologists stumble across a Kree base. In a startling coincidence, the very same location in the South Pacific is selected by Reed, Sue and Ben for their vacation spot and pretty soon a difference of opinion breaks out, only ending when The Sentry is trapped in the collapsing Kree base. Except that's not actually the end of it. The FF's victory sets off a series of events as The Kree are alerted to the destruction of their property on Earth.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Looking back, it seems extremely odd that Stan and Jack thought it was unremarkable that Johnny and Ben slept in the same bed. Probably unlikely to happen in a 2019 comic book. More innocent times, perhaps. Elsewhere in the issue, The FF clash with a Kree prosecutor and win on appeal.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The rather strange opening of </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantastic Four 65</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (Aug 1967) has all four having a common dream about the Supreme Intelligence, leader of the Kree. What they don't know that this is a harbinger of the approach of Ronan The Accuser, who aims to make the FF answer for destroying the Kree base. Not unnaturally, The Fantastic Four have other ideas and pin Ronan's ears back for him.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For the next couple of issues, The Inhumans would take a back seat while Stan and Jack give us Him and the Mystery of the Beehive. Only Crystal hanging around the Baxter Building reminds us that The Inhumans haven't gone away. And that leads us into <i>Fantastic Four Annual 5</i> (Nov 1967) ...</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For the preceding four years, the <i>Fantastic Four Annuals</i> had always been an event, featuring The Sub-Mariner, the Origin of Dr Doom, the wedding of Reed and Sue, and the return of the original Human Torch. To try to top that, Stan and Jack give us a team-up with The Black Panther and The Inhumans against a new villain, The Psycho Man.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Not one of my favourite Annuals from Marvel ... though it did have the announcement of Sue's pregnancy, a bunch of cool Inhumans pinups and the first Silver Surfer solo story to recommend it.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Unfortunately, the Psycho Man is a bit forgettable, and the involvement of the Inhumans doesn't really shed any light on their own story, simply serving to include the characters without any purpose beyond fighting alongside the FF. I kind of wonder if they were only in there to promote Jack Kirby's Inhuman origins series that began in <i>Thor 146</i> the very same month ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jBQAA2i4OUs/XbRidZuhOOI/AAAAAAAAFNU/QOWSAQZduzwSlBO-L-itXT1ldAxD2PiYACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/thor146_12-67.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1521" data-original-width="1017" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jBQAA2i4OUs/XbRidZuhOOI/AAAAAAAAFNU/QOWSAQZduzwSlBO-L-itXT1ldAxD2PiYACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/thor146_12-67.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>When Jack Kirby finally got his Inhumans solo series, it was stuffed in the back of </i>Thor <i>as a replacement for Tales of Asgard. The series would tell the story of the origin of the species in </i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I'm not really sure what the purpose of switching "Tales of Asgard" out of <i>Thor</i> and bringing The Inhumans in. It's true that Stan had been promising Jack an Inhumans series for a couple of years, but something always seemed to get in the way and block it. It's also possible that Stan was concerned that Kirby not be overstretched, putting two major Marvel books - <i>Fantastic Four </i>and <i>Thor</i> - as well as the Captain America feature in <i>Tales of Suspense,</i> in jeopardy of running late. But the resulting compromise - seven episodes at five pages a month - wasn't much of a consolation prize.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-br9nd3OtV38/XbRlg-T0EgI/AAAAAAAAFNg/NDCrLPOe9eYrRQSkl7seV6ubCL8QA9isACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Thor146_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="1600" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-br9nd3OtV38/XbRlg-T0EgI/AAAAAAAAFNg/NDCrLPOe9eYrRQSkl7seV6ubCL8QA9isACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Thor146_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Jack Kirby finally had his Inhumans solo series, but at five pages per episode, there wasn't really a decent amount of space to actually tell the full history of the characters.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The first couple of chapters tell of how The Kree initiated the Inhuman genetic experiment on Earth during the Paleolithic era. Then we jump forward to (almost) the present day and look at the individual Inhumans, beginning with Black Bolt ... or so we think. There's an interesting scene where we see Black Bolt as a baby, and the inevitable situation of the destruction caused when the child's super-powerful voice almost destroys the Inhumanas' city of Attilan.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxdi2vQ6caE/XbRoOrjUprI/AAAAAAAAFNs/BsPxd8061o8Yf9M8MjfWoIhjDU2h5FYigCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Thor148_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxdi2vQ6caE/XbRoOrjUprI/AAAAAAAAFNs/BsPxd8061o8Yf9M8MjfWoIhjDU2h5FYigCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Thor148_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>This section is sort of interesting. The idea of a baby with a super-destructive voice would definitely present its parenting challenges, but other than that, there isn't anything else we don't already know. How much better might this have been if Jack had had 20 or 40 pages to explore the formative years of Black Bolt?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then we jump forward to a 19-year-old Black Bolt and his first meeting with his cousins and his first run-in with his mental brother Maximus. It does seem a bit rushed, but with only five pages to play with, there's only so much exposition Stan and Jack can manage. They do, however, devote 15 pages to Triton, to round out the mini-series.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In reality, the Triton segment is not the origin of the amphibian Inhuman, but rather the telling of Triton's foray into the world of men to discover how The Inhumans might be received, should their existence become known.</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>This is where the "Inhumans" series goes off-piste. Triton goes swim-about and stumbles across a film crew remaking </i>Creature from the Black Lagoon<i>. It's not terribly original (Kirby would revisit this idea in a later Fantastic Four) and it's certainly not an origin story. Note that, by this time, Triton had acquired magenta gloves and booties ... which is probably about as appropriate as giving a fish a bicycle.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Fifty years on, it's hard to know why the Inhumans mini-series lasted only seven episodes. I couldn't have been because Stan - or more likely, Jack - didn't know what to do with the characters. It does seem to me though that Stan's brief to Jack was "Origins of the Inhumans" - it says so, right there at the top of the series' splash pages - and Jack had other ideas. We know by this time, Stan and Jack would have only the briefest of discussions about forthcoming plots and Jack would draw out the story for Stan to dialogue. I suspect that when the last couple of episodes of the Triton segment came back, Stan must've thought, "Hang on a second. This isn't the origin of Triton." Did Stan pull the plug on the series at this point? Why didn't we get the origins of Gorgon and Karnak ... and more importantly, Madam Medusa? Who knows? But it would fit with the evidence that, by 1967, Jack was becoming a bit disgruntled with his lot at Marvel. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DM0Vb-b_56w/XbWIclq_VRI/AAAAAAAAFOI/L2033ERmEyo5EB6oykGeZQvAsLG6uqPvACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Thor152_pg11_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1600" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DM0Vb-b_56w/XbWIclq_VRI/AAAAAAAAFOI/L2033ERmEyo5EB6oykGeZQvAsLG6uqPvACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Thor152_pg11_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>I'm sure Vince Colletta has his fans, but I wouldn't count myself among them. I always felt the scratchy style didn't mesh well with Kirby's pencils. I'd much rather seen a different, perhaps more classical, inker on </i>Thor ... <i>John Severin, perhaps.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">On the plus side, the artwork was gorgeous, enhanced by the always fabulous inks of Joe Sinnott. In fact, Sinnott's embellishment makes a sharp contrast to Vince Colletta's inking on the Thor art in the very same comics. But for the moment, Marvel's dreams of an Inhumans stand-alone series was over ... again.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PnjsVZsQCN8/XbWgKBAzjrI/AAAAAAAAFOs/EDJYs2COyNEHRst0N5YG4834dwOKvWWSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SM002_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1600" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PnjsVZsQCN8/XbWgKBAzjrI/AAAAAAAAFOs/EDJYs2COyNEHRst0N5YG4834dwOKvWWSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/SM002_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The Inhumans would turn up in </i>Sub-Mariner 2 <i>&</i> 3<i> (June-July 1968), but not drawn (or co-plotted) by Jack Kirby. This tale was told by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Frank Giacoia - and rather good it looks, too.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However ... this wasn't to leave The Inhumans in limbo. Far from it. The month after <i>Thor 152</i> (May 1968), Triton would guest-star in <i>Sub-Mariner 2</i> & <i>3</i>, drawn by John Buscema and Frank Giacoia. Roy Thomas' story has Sub-Mariner and Triton - a team-up made in heaven if ever there was one - combine their might to tackle The Plant Man. Even though the villain is strictly b-team, the Buscema art is glorious. <i>Sub-Mariner</i> was never a comic I followed back in the 1960s, but I did make a point of picking up issues 1 - 8. I kind of lost interest when Marie Severin took over as penciller ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bswUDw9kfCY/XbWLt9MGoLI/AAAAAAAAFOU/jfs39dKb7U8dxqF-KQw0d7fbwFw3yNwLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ASM062_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="1600" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bswUDw9kfCY/XbWLt9MGoLI/AAAAAAAAFOU/jfs39dKb7U8dxqF-KQw0d7fbwFw3yNwLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ASM062_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>I like Romita's version of Medusa well enough, but I think she's just a bit too polished here and not quite scowl-y enough. And what's with the green costume (that we never saw again)?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Stan would also include an Inhuman - Medusa, this time - in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazing Spider-Man 62</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (Jul 1968), the following month</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">. It's not really much more than a guest walk-on. The story's a bit of fluff, really. Medusa visits the big city to see whether the humans are still afraid of her and her people. Medusa then gets caught up with an unscrupulous purveyor of beauty products who tries to use her as a poster girl for his hairspray (really!). It all turns a little ugly when Medusa won't play along and is manipulated into a fight with Spider-Man. Lovely art by John Romita, though.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kI-A9J7h_sQ/XbWPk-YEuDI/AAAAAAAAFOg/-f8Fb6GChfIo3LDAXtxROptkjn1ibz7twCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MSH015_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1600" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kI-A9J7h_sQ/XbWPk-YEuDI/AAAAAAAAFOg/-f8Fb6GChfIo3LDAXtxROptkjn1ibz7twCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/MSH015_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>I like Gene Colan's take on Medusa's costume better than John Romita's ... I wonder what Stan was thinking here. Try out two different costumes and see which the fans liked better?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Curiously, Stan would star Medusa in a solo strip the same month in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Marvel Super-Heroes 15</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">, this time drawn by the eminently more suitable Gene Colan - but Vince Colletta on inks, Stan? Really? The story itself is once more a little insubstantial. Medusa visits the world of humans - this time in search of a rare isotope, Quadranium 99, that may be able to restore Black Bolt's voice. In an almost unfeasible coincidence, she runs into the remaining members of the Frightful Four who offer to help her in her quest. Suspecting treachery, Medusa plays along, yet fails to retain the isotope, barely escapes The Wizard and his cronies and has to be rescued by Black Bolt. Not Medusa's finest hour. Love the artwork though - Colan's pencils are so strong that even Colletta couldn't mess them up too much.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vorMTv4lJ3I/XbWoNkBpGnI/AAAAAAAAFO4/C64gsZewAQYF7M3ZfBInD8nfuuaFBy_sQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/HulkAnn001_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1600" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vorMTv4lJ3I/XbWoNkBpGnI/AAAAAAAAFO4/C64gsZewAQYF7M3ZfBInD8nfuuaFBy_sQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/HulkAnn001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Marie Severin's artwork was always just a smidge too cartoon-y for me, so I sort of avoided the books she drew for Marvel during the 1960s. But she did a pretty credible job here. Perhaps the Syd Shores inking helps. Other than that, we don't really get to see too much of the workings of Inhuman society in this story.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It would be a few months before we'd see The Inhumans again, but back they came in The <i>Incredible Hulk Annual 1</i> (Oct 1968), this time drawn by Marie Severin. At the time, Severin was the also the penciller on The Hulk's own monthly book, though while Marie was working on the Annual's mammoth 51 page story, Herb Trimpe was just beginning his pencilling run on the title. Gary Friedrich's story has The Hulk mixed up with some Inhuman exiles who had plotted to overthrow Black Bolt. Ultimately, this brings the Hulk into conflict with the monarch of the Inhumans. There's a big fight, then the Hulk stumps off, grumbling.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ebEa1B0Xxl0/XbWs_szn-5I/AAAAAAAAFPE/Nshd5vUH_-YRBlbvR5TqrV1DySu6dMFJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff082_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ebEa1B0Xxl0/XbWs_szn-5I/AAAAAAAAFPE/Nshd5vUH_-YRBlbvR5TqrV1DySu6dMFJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff082_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The art is great, but you can see the fatigue in Jack Kirby's plotting and pacing here. It's possible that Stan is to blame for trotting out the old reliable Inhumans plot where Maximus takes over the throne, then then gets spanked by Black Bolt. ... but it is beginning to wear a bit thin.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">By the time we see The Inhumans again, they've returned to their familiar roles as guest-stars in <i>Fantastic Four 82</i> & <i>83</i> (Jan 1969). Unfortunately, there's nothing new to see here. It's as though The Inhumans have only the one plotline. The most novel development is that Crystal had joined the FF the month before, covering while Sue takes some maternity leave from the team.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And that was it for The Inhumans in the Silver Age ... Maximus and his evil hench-inhumans did show up in Incredible <i>Hulk 119</i> & <i>120</i> (Sep - Oct 1969), but that's not an appearance of The <i>Inhuman</i> Inhumans, so it doesn't count.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">By the time Black Bolt and his family got their own series again, in <i>Amazing Adventures 1</i> (Aug 1970), it was too little, too late. By that time, Jack Kirby was thoroughly hacked off with Marvel. He'd stopped creating new characters a couple of years earlier and most of his plots were - by this time - just re-hashing what had already gone before. Even Jack knew that he should have left Marvel a lot sooner than he did. But he didn't, and what we got was a lacklustre 40 pages of story, written and drawn by Jack Kirby, and edited by Stan Lee.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UGRKWzR1A9o/XbW3i0J0_wI/AAAAAAAAFPQ/IodOm7CP1_8kmNOFaETVol_b3hE4EUsawCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/amadv2_001_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1200" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UGRKWzR1A9o/XbW3i0J0_wI/AAAAAAAAFPQ/IodOm7CP1_8kmNOFaETVol_b3hE4EUsawCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/amadv2_001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>By 1970, you could tell that Jack's heart just wan't in his Marvel work. The pencilling is pretty much as good as it ever was - though Kirby certainly drew better when the artboard was twice up - and the Chic Stone inks also help here. But the stories are nothing to get excited about.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Though Jack was credited as writer, the script didn't really read a whole lot different from other Marvel Comics of the Silver Age. It leads me to wonder if Jack was really writing this stuff, or whether it was an honorary credit, with Stan doing his usual re-writing of Jack's words to smooth out the rough edges and add much-needed characterisation. This might explain why Kirby's dialogue on the Fourth World books just a few months later seemed so stilted and awkward by comparison.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There would be another attempt to get an Inhumans solo book off the ground during the mid-1970s, but it lasted just 12 issues. I don't remember it especially well and I don't have copies, so despite Doug Moench scripts and (early) George Perez art, it didn't make much impression on me.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">All-in-all, I think The Inhumans was a terrific concept crying out for a strong story treatment, something neither Stan nor Jack seemed able to provide. It's possible that later creators made a better job of making compelling Inhumans stories, but that's beyond the scope of this blog.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7EoZgD5rZUY/XdGj6uEJQjI/AAAAAAAAFPo/ASmzV3o7xEQ_QuuM4seBaZfpwTZMo_H0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DC-Marvel-sales.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="826" height="142" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7EoZgD5rZUY/XdGj6uEJQjI/AAAAAAAAFPo/ASmzV3o7xEQ_QuuM4seBaZfpwTZMo_H0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/DC-Marvel-sales.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Data from the Audit Bureau of Circulation reveals that Marvel overtook DC in total sales in 1967, much earlier than I would have thought. Other sources have suggested different points for Marvel's ascendency, but it's hard to argue with independently audited sales figures. <b>Click on chart to enlarge.</b></i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For my money, what the characters needed was a decent run in their own book by Stan and Jack, starting in 1965 as planned. But Jack Liebowitz robbed us of that in a futile attempt to stop the advance of Marvel Comics. According to the <a href="http://www.auditbureau.org/about-what-is-abc.html">Audit Bureau of Circulation</a>, Marvel overtook DC in sales in 1967.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Next: More covers to conjure with</b></span>
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AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-65517777734967018912019-09-30T05:08:00.000-07:002019-10-19T02:27:03.381-07:00The Inhumans: Part 1 - Meet Madam Medusa<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>IN 1964, SOMETHING HAPPENED TO JACK KIRBY'S BRAIN.</b> After drawing a long run of self-contained, villain-of-the-month adventures in Marvel's <i>Fantastic Four</i> comic, the dynamic changed. It's as if some lightbulb went off in Jack's head and he stopped restricting the storytelling to 21-page units and began to spread out a bit. Perhaps it was Stan not giving Jack specific instructions about what he wanted to see in the next issue of <i>FF</i> ... or perhaps Stan gave Jack specific instructions to go wild. But whatever the reason, the <i>Fantastic Four </i>comic began to feature widescreen adventures and each new issue introduced startling, innovative concepts that boggled this ten-year-old's mind.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fantastic Four 36 <i>was my first issue of the comic. Though it used the age old trope of having a mirror image of the heroes as villains, it was a new idea to me in early 1965. Especially striking (and a little bit creepy) was the scary woman in the dominatrix mask with the snake-like living hair.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Incredibly, the saga would take over a year to play out - and there would be diversions and story-loops along the way. But play out it did, and I would slowly learn the secrets of The Inhumans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The earliest issue of the <i>Fantastic Four</i> comic I can recall reading was issue 36. Though we didn't seen this in the UK until around spring or early summer in 1965, it went on sale in the US on 10th December 1964, so would have been in production August or September of that year. I suppose it's possible that Stan and Jack meant all along to expand the presence of Frightful Four member Madam Medusa into a whole secret race of genetically engineered metahumans ... but I kind of doubt it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>There was something about the Wizard's explanation of discovering Madam Medusa hiding in a cave that reminded me of Magneto's description of how he found Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver hiding out in Europe, a year earlier in </i>X-Men 4<i> (Mar 1964).</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's absolutely no hint whatsoever in <i>FF36</i> that Medusa is anything more than a super-powered human being that The Wizard found hiding out in a cave on a Mediterranean island - probably somewhere in the Aegean Sea, if Greek myth is anything to go by. She'd have had to have been there an awful long time if we're to believe that Stan and Jack's Medusa was any sort of inspiration to the ancient Greeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Wizard suggests that she may be the most powerful member of the newly-formed Frightful Four, but the story doesn't play her character out that way at first. What enables to evil FF to come very close to defeating Reed's quartet is the element of surprise and the Frightful Four's teamwork. In the end, Sue Storm saves the day by hosing Medusa down with Paste Pot Pete's glue-gun, and the Wizard's merry band make a hasty exit.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iKv3-xpYhCw/XY9OomQbtjI/AAAAAAAAFHo/Qn19g3W5l1cQxG4gTRcDEZoBYiL5YpBtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff038_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iKv3-xpYhCw/XY9OomQbtjI/AAAAAAAAFHo/Qn19g3W5l1cQxG4gTRcDEZoBYiL5YpBtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff038_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Medusa's second appearance in </i>Fantastic Four 38<i> (May 1965) is little more than a walk-on. She's used by The Wizard as the fake fashion designer that lures Sue Storm into a trap and that's about the extent of it. There's still no hint as to her true origins.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's no mention of the Frightful Four or Medusa in <i>Fantastic Four 37</i>, but the following issue, they're back. In another masterful plan, The Wizard and his team kidnap Sue Storm as bait and lure the Fantastic Four to a remote Pacific atoll and leave them there as a "Q-Bomb" counts away the seconds to detonation. While Medusa is the catalyst in the abduction of Sue, she doesn't have too much to do beyond that, and we get no further insight into her character than we've had already.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9VgiWeFrJKQ/XY9QQb6j0vI/AAAAAAAAFH0/h20RGCdqyX0q1hsHSdxscCu9lltzEcyTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff038_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9VgiWeFrJKQ/XY9QQb6j0vI/AAAAAAAAFH0/h20RGCdqyX0q1hsHSdxscCu9lltzEcyTACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff038_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Though </i>Fantastic Four 38<i> was an unsettling read for my eleven year old self, the defeat of the FF was mostly down to The Wizard. The repercussions of this issue would reverberate for the next several months, beyond the revelation of who and what Medusa was.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, the FF survive, but at great cost and the next couple of issues are taken up with the quartet's battle against Dr Doom - without their powers - with only Daredevil to help them.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-_UntbBwpU/XY91F9RHhwI/AAAAAAAAFIA/fUfoMm_A2ZYmvifNj95Fx3SdkbffcDYcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff041_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-_UntbBwpU/XY91F9RHhwI/AAAAAAAAFIA/fUfoMm_A2ZYmvifNj95Fx3SdkbffcDYcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff041_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The introduction to Medusa in this issue is a splashy affair. She gets an entire page to herself, showing her pushing her teammates around like she's the dictator of the group. And Stan's scripting complements this idea perfectly as The Wizard wonders how much longer he can control The Frightful Four. I get the impression Stan and Jack really liked Medusa, but hadn't quite formulated a plan for her yet ...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Fantastic Four 41</i> (Aug 1965) brings back the Quarrelsome Quartet ... and there's an interesting shift in the dynamic within the team. Stan and Jack bring Medusa forward to centrestage. They even have her issuing orders to the rest of the Frightful ones like she's the leader of the team and The Wizard fretting slightly that she may wrest power from him. There's still no hint what might be in back of all this, and indeed, I suspect that Jack hasn't quite solidified his ideas on what Medusa actually is. At this stage, I think he may have been toying with the idea of having Medusa take control of the evil FF.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-siDpkLYmvo8/XY95cQAyNgI/AAAAAAAAFIM/ADldi__Zk38N77KXamnQnpDvklGl66oDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff041_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-siDpkLYmvo8/XY95cQAyNgI/AAAAAAAAFIM/ADldi__Zk38N77KXamnQnpDvklGl66oDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff041_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Even if you didn't read Stan's speech balloons, there's little doubt from Jack's visual storytelling that it's Medusa directing much of the action in these pages. Then right at the end, check out the top panel on page 20 ... is that Medusa checking her makeup? What could Jack have been thinking of?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whether it's Stan or Jack plotting here, it's clear from Jack's drawings that Medusa is issuing most of the orders as the Frightfuls get to grips with having The Thing and the rest of the Fantastic Four under their control. Yet, the idea isn't followed up in the next instalment of the story. Instead, Medusa seems to be once more just a member of the group under The Wizard's direction, though she's instrumental in defeating The Torch so that The Wizard can put him under the same mind control as The Thing.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Medusa's chief function in </i>Fantastic Four 42<i> (Sep 1965) is to douse The Torch's flame so that The Wizard can subject him to the ID machine, and turn him against the rest of the Fantastic Four. Re-reading these today, it certainly feels like Stan and Jack are marking time with Medusa until they can figure out what to do with her.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the following issue, <i>Fantastic Four 43</i> (Oct 1965), we discover that The Torch isn't controlled by the Wizard after all. Medusa, however, is once more telling the Wizard what to do. And even though it's Medusa that figures out that Johnny's just faking being under the control of the ID machine and captures him ... at the end of the tale, as she makes her escape with The Torch in pursuit, Johnny simply lets her go. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NIOlPMdHo0/XY-BRh4h59I/AAAAAAAAFIk/kG_NWDGi7B8sRXWO1DTEOymCs6pPDdgOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff043_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NIOlPMdHo0/XY-BRh4h59I/AAAAAAAAFIk/kG_NWDGi7B8sRXWO1DTEOymCs6pPDdgOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff043_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>One minute Madam Medusa is riding high, effectively the deputy leader of the Frightful Four, influencing The Wizard's decisions, the next she's on the back foot, ditching her teammates and fleeing in The Wizard's magnetic ship, pursued by a strangely reluctant Human Torch. But we'd see her again ...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps Stan and Jack were toying with the idea of having Johnny attracted to Medusa (even though she appears at least ten years older than him) ... but it indicates to me that even this late in the game, they still hadn't solidified her backstory. That would come in the very next issue.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I was eleven, this lack of backstory didn't especially bother me. Medusa was just some weird woman with creepy hair that menaced my favourite super-team. If I'd been a little older, I'd probably have wondered whether she was a mutant like the X-Men. After all, The Wizard had found her hiding from angry villagers in a cave somewhere in Europe. Isn't that where all mutants came from?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking back at what was going on at Marvel during 1965, there are two possible reasons for this vagueness. The first is that when the Frightful Four were created - August or September of 1964, I'd say - Stan and Jack had no plans for Medusa beyond her role as a foe of the Fantastic Four. The second is that Stan and Jack did have plans for Medusa, and simply used her appearance in <i>Fantastic Four</i> to promote those plans. But, I don't think the timeline bears that out. I'll explain.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Who's that girl? Even Medusa doesn't seem to know. Is she a powerful supervillainess, capable of wresting control of the Frightful Four from The Wizard, or is she the </i>housefrau<i> girlfriend of Inhumans leader Black Bolt? I don't think even Stan and Jack knew for sure.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sean Howe's <i>Marvel Comics: The Untold Story</i> tells that during 1965 - with <a href="http://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-sincerest-form-of-flattery.html">companies like Archie and Charlton trying to emulate Marvel's success</a> - Publisher Martin Goodman wanted to expand the Marvel line to take up more shelf space and instructed Stan to come up with a couple of ideas for new Marvel comic books. So he got together with Jack Kirby and between them they presented two new titles to Goodman - a black superhero, The Coal Tiger and another super-powered group, The Inhumans. I've come across this story from other sources, so it seems reliable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, when Goodman went to Independent News, he found he was still constrained by the agreement he'd made with Jack Liebowitz back in 1957 ... that Independent would <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-were-silver-age-marvels-so-much.html#implosion">distribute no more than eight Marvel comic books a month</a>. Even so, this gradually crept up by a title or two a year, so that by 1965, Marvel had 12 books a month on the stands. So when he asked for another two books, head of DC Comics and Independent News Liebowitz, said, "No". Goodman had to shelf the books, a great disappointment to Stan and an even bigger blow to Jack.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stan's solution was to fold first The Inhumans, then The Coal Tiger (revised as The Black Panther - though <a href="http://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2018/05/new-kid-on-block-kirby-takes-over.html">see also <i>Two-Gun Kid 77</i>, Sep 1966</a>), into the <i>Fantastic Four</i> comic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Based on the timing of the above, I think it's reasonable to conclude that Stan and Jack hadn't originally planned Medusa to be an Inhuman. But when the solo Inhumans book was shelved, the character was retro-fitted as a member of the new group. This would explain the strange personality change in Medusa when we see her again in <i>Fantastic Four 46</i>, alongside the other Inhumans. Her haughty manner has gone and she seems like a completely different person. And in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantastic Four 44</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (Nov 1965) Medusa's transformation from imperious super-villain to Black Bolt's far meeker love-interest would begin ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yTzaseBrA8k/XZAuC7eIMKI/AAAAAAAAFIw/9fi_XlZGYTAY2V7TRa0WdEOrDBg5l1kvACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff044_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yTzaseBrA8k/XZAuC7eIMKI/AAAAAAAAFIw/9fi_XlZGYTAY2V7TRa0WdEOrDBg5l1kvACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff044_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Johnny Storm was the last to see Medusa as she escaped at the end of </i>Fantastic Four 43<i> ... and he's the first to see her when she returns in </i>FF44.<i> Stan and Jack sure liked a circular plotline.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I first read "The Gentleman's Name is Gorgon" back in 1965, it confused me a little. Like all eleven year olds, I knew my European mythology quite well, perhaps better than others, as I loved anything with monsters and superpowered people. So I was aware that Medusa was the name of one of the Three Gorgons from Greek myth. And here, Stan and Jack were introducing another gorgon. Except this one was a gentleman. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>You certainly got your money's worth in a Stan and Jack </i>Fantastic Four<i> comic. I'd argue that the inclusion of the Dragon Man in this tale made it perhaps a tad crowded, but why carp?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we do get to see Gorgon, he looks more like a faun of Roman myth or the Greek god Pan than a gorgon. Was this deliberate, or was Jack just getting his mythology in a bunch? The story has Medusa (sometimes "Madame" and sometimes "Madam", in Stan's script), on the run from this mysterious pursuer. The FF investigate weird earthquake-like shock waves, and discover they're caused by the creature pursuing Medusa. Stan and Jack drag the Dragon Man into the tale, though this doesn't add much of significance to the story.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MeazWmGPN4M/XZA2dXdIouI/AAAAAAAAFJI/Vfnvwl734ssfhAyZ5SxI5Zf6vw03dIGQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff044_pg01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MeazWmGPN4M/XZA2dXdIouI/AAAAAAAAFJI/Vfnvwl734ssfhAyZ5SxI5Zf6vw03dIGQACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff044_pg01.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>With his stylised horns and his goat-like feet, Gorgon was probably inspired by the Greek god Pan ... which in turn inspired the medieval Christian image of Satan.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the time we get to the end of the 20 pages, The Dragon Man has carried Sue Storm off, The Gorgon has grabbed Medusa to return her to her own race (whoever they may be), and his final kick has caused the building under the FF to collapse as though flattened by a huge seismic event. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hsgRaglvg98/XZA72wMRslI/AAAAAAAAFJU/63zI6aguITApdwHCO710CVkCKmmH72beACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff045_12-65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hsgRaglvg98/XZA72wMRslI/AAAAAAAAFJU/63zI6aguITApdwHCO710CVkCKmmH72beACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff045_12-65.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>It's a terrific cover, if a little sinister. There's some artistic licence by Jack, as he has Karnak hoisting about a ton of brick wall above his head when, in the story, there's no suggestion that Karnak has super-strength.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Fantastic Four 45</i> (Dec 1965) finally reveals what all this sound and fury has been about. Medusa is part of a race called The Inhumans and, apparently, they're hiding among us. By 1965 standards, that's a pretty cool - if slightly unsettling - idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It all kicks off when Johnny Storm is feeling a bit pouty because Dorrie Evans has another date. Wandering around a deserted neighbourhood near the Baxter Building, Johnny chances across a beautiful young girl sitting amid the rubble of a condemned building. When he speaks to her, the girl panics, a tornado springs up out of nowhere and the girl vanishes.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The gradual reveal of Crystal and her backstory to Johnny Storm is nicely done. We know there's something very odd going on when we see Lockjaw for the first time - a dog, the size of a hippo, with antennae. Like me, Johnny ponders whether Crystal and her people might be mutants.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unable to put the girl out of his mind, Johnny returns to the same neighbourhood the following evening and finds her again, sitting on a rockpile. When the girls sees Johnny Flame On, she takes him for one of her own kind and reveals her name is Crystal and that she has a giant antennaed dog called Lockjaw. Emboldened, she takes Johnny to meet the rest of her family, particularly their leader Black Bolt.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2iEDsW-xWvg/XZBJcyz1SvI/AAAAAAAAFJs/HHRrTcqSj2AGPjWF5VFZYKoHsbso8J31ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff045_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2iEDsW-xWvg/XZBJcyz1SvI/AAAAAAAAFJs/HHRrTcqSj2AGPjWF5VFZYKoHsbso8J31ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff045_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>In the above sequence, revelation piles on revelation, as Johnny learns that Medusa is Crystal's sister, that karate-chopping Karnak and the scaly amphibian Triton are all part of the same odd family. In fact, Johnny even references </i>The Munsters<i> at the foot of page 16.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the underground lair of The Inhumans, Johnny first meets Karnak ... then, when he claps eyes on Gorgon and Medusa, the penny drops. Medusa is part of a group who will stop at nothing to conceal their existence from the rest of the world. The group try to restrain The Torch, but he burns his way out of the lair and alerts the FF to the danger.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-z7T42qbHI/XZBMrVDiodI/AAAAAAAAFJ4/ZCJWWWDslBUvUEqiUYejTFSU15qT3AzOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff045_montage03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-z7T42qbHI/XZBMrVDiodI/AAAAAAAAFJ4/ZCJWWWDslBUvUEqiUYejTFSU15qT3AzOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff045_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>After an incredible seven issues and 140 pages, we finally get to see the leader of Medusa's family of Inhumans, Black Bolt. Yet at this point, the character doesn't seem fully formed. His forehead antenna isn't quite right, though it'd be fixed in the next issue. Later in the series, Lockjaw's standard insect style antennae would be replaced by a single device modelled on Black Bolt's. </i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Johnny returns to the area with his teammates, they're attacked by the Inhumans, but this is merely a diversion ... the real menace appears. Black Bolt.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OWhQzktvPEs/XZB841hkf7I/AAAAAAAAFKM/wADwjzzhTrQhtF_WN52Y5ATX99oJ9BO_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff046_01-66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OWhQzktvPEs/XZB841hkf7I/AAAAAAAAFKM/wADwjzzhTrQhtF_WN52Y5ATX99oJ9BO_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff046_01-66.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fantastic Four 46 <i>gives us our first proper look at Black Bolt. It's a strong central image and Jack Kirby again uses the technique of floating heads dotted around the cover to show the main players in the adventure inside.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Fantastic Four 46</i> (Jan 1966) opens with a bruising five-page battle between the FF and the small group of Inhumans led by Black Bolt. Across these pages we learn that Black Bolt has super-strength - enough to give The Thing pause - but does not speak. We learn that Triton needs water to survive. And we learn that The Seeker is chasing down the Inhumans for some unspecified reason.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0VgdLsYSL4/XZB8j71W94I/AAAAAAAAFKE/fp9gAFLbYrgQG9yAn1Qp1qQkInzUydobwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff046_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0VgdLsYSL4/XZB8j71W94I/AAAAAAAAFKE/fp9gAFLbYrgQG9yAn1Qp1qQkInzUydobwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff046_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Believing the Fantastic Four to be a threat, the Inhumans attack them, demonstrating that they're capable fighters, even against such powerful opponents as the FF.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We don't meet The Seeker until page six of the story, but even then we're not really any the wiser. The Seeker's henchmen have subdued and captured the Dragon Man, thinking him to be another escaped Inhuman. Meanwhile, the battle between The Inhumans and the FF rages on, until Gorgon realises that Triton has been snatched by The Seeker. The Inhumans break off their fight and make a hasty withdrawal, leaving the area via Lockjaw's teleportation abilities.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2PsT_XKoi1g/XZCAE6T1BdI/AAAAAAAAFKY/zYePkbobonIksy7U9U1is0CvQffLSOJmACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff046_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="1600" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2PsT_XKoi1g/XZCAE6T1BdI/AAAAAAAAFKY/zYePkbobonIksy7U9U1is0CvQffLSOJmACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff046_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>With Black Bolt's power depleted during his battle with The Thing, the Inhumans realise they're no match for The Seeker and his goons and have Lockjaw teleport them away to who-knows-where. Johnny frets that he won't see Crystal again, but Reed assures him that he'll unravel the secrets of the Inhumans.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile, The Seeker has realised that The Dragon Man is no Inhuman, but an artificial life form, and loses interest in the creature. So when Reeds Richards uses his technology to trace The Seeker's heat signature and catches up with the Inhuman-hunter, The Seeker has no reason to believe The Fantastic Four are interested in anything other than the sedated android. And not seeing the FF as a threat, explains that he is one of the race who created The Inhumans through genetic manipulation ... purely in the interests of scientific experimentation. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yEzM1odKMLw/XZCyrAFeJqI/AAAAAAAAFKk/SUlRNj-DWw8jbCcj7YyK7DyjnRbfurfYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff046_montage03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1200" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yEzM1odKMLw/XZCyrAFeJqI/AAAAAAAAFKk/SUlRNj-DWw8jbCcj7YyK7DyjnRbfurfYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff046_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Stan's dialogue makes it seem as though The Seeker belongs to the race that created the Inhumans. We would find out that this is not the case when the true creators of the Inhumans are revealed much later in the second issue of </i>The Inhumans<i> comic (1975).</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It all goes to heck-in-a-handbasket when The Dragon Man recovers from the The Seeker's tranquilliser and breaks free. In the ensuing melee, Triton's containment tank is shattered and the amphibian collapses to the floor, gasping for breath.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okyecpI7Z0A/XZDB6OVNGtI/AAAAAAAAFKw/IGAhBzcwsoMmUCAUtXB1o_xbTQbTU_yPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff047_02-66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okyecpI7Z0A/XZDB6OVNGtI/AAAAAAAAFKw/IGAhBzcwsoMmUCAUtXB1o_xbTQbTU_yPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ff047_02-66.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>There's no sign of The Inhumans on this cover. Usually, Stan wouldn't let something like this pass, as he was all about making the cover sell the book. I'm surprised he didn't have Jack add his trademark "floating heads" down the sides of the cover art.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Fantastic Four 47</i> (Feb 1966) opens with the FF ingeniously saving Triton's life. While Johnny and Ben go after The Dragon Man, Sue envelopes Triton in a forcefield and Reed fills it with water from a handy hosepipe.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WQmcyasz1v4/XZDEMYHbHwI/AAAAAAAAFK8/iL76RXu2dEwTYHHUV3oSv4oj9Nq5B0e9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff047_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WQmcyasz1v4/XZDEMYHbHwI/AAAAAAAAFK8/iL76RXu2dEwTYHHUV3oSv4oj9Nq5B0e9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff047_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I'd have thought it should have been a little more difficult for Black Bolt to wrest the throne back from his usurper brother, Maximum the Mad. Instead, it involves little more than grabbing Maximus' hokey hat. In the above artwork, the way Kirby's drawn Maximus reminds me quite a lot of Thor's dodgy brother, Loki.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As this is happening, Black Bolt and his followers reach their remote home, The Great Refuge, where his brother, Maximus now rules as king. The sneering Maximus greets his brother, then proclaims his intention to wed Medusa. Really should have kept his mouth shut. Black Bolt's reaction is to snatch the crown from his brother's head and calmly place it on his own. If only all regime change could be that easy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLpeiQomoIM/XZDGt4LjwkI/AAAAAAAAFLI/GbcjTejmb80bcYuUArj3ErMv6GMlKDbdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff047_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MLpeiQomoIM/XZDGt4LjwkI/AAAAAAAAFLI/GbcjTejmb80bcYuUArj3ErMv6GMlKDbdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff047_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>When the Fantastic Four reach the city of the Inhumans, Reed feels it his duty to advise Black Bolt that they won't stay hidden from the Human Race forever. Despite their best efforts, their existence will become known eventually, and they'll discover too late that humans are not their enemy.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not far away, the Fantastic Four have arrived in The Great Refuge and waste no time making the perilous descent into the city of The Inhumans. No sooner have they reached ground level that they're greeted by an excited Crystal ... and the rest of her family. Black Bolt wants nothing to do with the Human Race and orders Reed and the others to leave on peril of their lives. But Reed makes an impassioned speech, declaring that The Inhumans have nothing to fear from the Humans and that the sooner they emerge into the real world, the better. What none of them know is that Maximus has a secret weapon, the Atmo-Gun with which he plans to annihilate all human life, leave the Earth solely for The Inhumans. While no one's watching, he pressed the trigger.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5ZK0K_BZnM/XZDJLWmP64I/AAAAAAAAFLU/C6i4ByqnSm4NETra-EPtHOJQm8iXOx_-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ff048_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5ZK0K_BZnM/XZDJLWmP64I/AAAAAAAAFLU/C6i4ByqnSm4NETra-EPtHOJQm8iXOx_-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ff048_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fantastic Four 48 <i>is rightly famous for introducing the terrible threat of Galactus and his melancholy herald The Silver Surfer. However, the first third of the book is taken up with the epilogue of The Inhumans saga.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now what I'd forgotten, until I re-read these stories recently, was that the epilogue of the Inhumans saga spilled over into <i>Fantastic Four 48</i> (Mar 1966), a comic best known for introducing Galactus and the Silver Surfer to the Marvel universe. So the last few pages of the tale, with Maximus thwarted, and the Atmos-Gun - a weapon designed to destroy all non-Inhuman life - failing to work on the Human Race, takes up the first seven pages of <i>FF48</i>. Who knew?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The irony is that The Inhumans and the Humans are not genetically different after all. Reed is right. There's no need for the Inhumans to keep themselves apart from the Human Race. Yet Maximus still has his final revenge, throwing up an impenetrable barrier that locks The Inhumans inside the Great Refuge and shuts the Fantastic Four out. Johnny is separated from Crystal ... and this sets up a future storyline of Johnny embarking on an epic search for his lost love later in the <i>FF</i> series.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From here, The Inhumans would go on to make many more appearances in the <i>Fantastic Four</i> and other Marvel series. Initially, Stan had planned to launch an <i>Inhumans</i> comic in 1967, but this was shelved and Jack's artwork was repurposed as a short run of back-up tales by Stan and Jack in <i>Thor 146 - 152</i> (1967). They then battled the Hulk in <i>Hulk King-Size Special 1</i> (1968), and finally get their own series in the second volume of <i>Amazing Adventures</i> in 1969 ... but that's a story for next time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Next: The long road to solo stardom</b></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-46019306012916451042019-08-30T00:03:00.005-07:002021-01-09T00:08:44.821-08:00Separated at Birth 2 - another comic covers interlude<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>HERE'S SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE LIGHT-HEARTED</b> than my more recent posts ... another look at the many tropes, cliches and chestnuts that show up over and over again in the cover designs of our favourite comics. I'd barely scratched the surface of this subject on one of my very early entries in this blog, so I'm giving the subject another outing.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I should clarify that Marvel and DC comics took quite a different approach to how they created their covers. DC had always traditionally created their covers first, often using the idea behind a "grabby" cover to drive the plot of the story inside the comic. Both Mort Weisinger and Julius Schwartz took this approach with the DC books they edited. Marvel, though, did exactly the opposite, creating their covers after the interior art was completed. This meant that Marvel would often create symbolic covers that might not illustrate a scene from the story inside. But you'll see what I'm getting at as we go along ...</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">IDENTICAL TWINS</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I think it's fair to say that Julie Schwartz was the king of recycling when it came to re-using old cover ideas. During his run as editor of DC's revived superhero titles, he'd regularly plunder the cover gallery of his 1950s science fiction comics for ideas.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39TjN2pylpw/XWaOV3V_ToI/AAAAAAAAFDo/RK0lV9GAVlsyYuJFHxJN6M41EX0kVvT8wCLcBGAs/s1600/TwinCovers_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39TjN2pylpw/XWaOV3V_ToI/AAAAAAAAFDo/RK0lV9GAVlsyYuJFHxJN6M41EX0kVvT8wCLcBGAs/s400/TwinCovers_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Uncanny, isn't it? It's almost as though Schwartz was cynically re-using cover ideas from the previous decade, wasn't it? "Ah, what the hell ... the kids'll never know." <b>Click image to enlarge.</b></i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The above 1960s cover concepts are absolutely identical to their 1950s antecedents ... but this is hardly unusual in the comics industry.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">CLOSELY RELATED</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It wasn't just Schwartz who liked to dredge up old ideas and trot them out for further airings. DC's Dark Overlord Mort Weisinger also loved the economy of using an old idea instead of thinking up a new one.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T86nQg1032I/XWaQ5Fg3dlI/AAAAAAAAFD0/_e0NtRQYOcczeAXmiUf3Ay0l7V9DsbjZACLcBGAs/s1600/Separated_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T86nQg1032I/XWaQ5Fg3dlI/AAAAAAAAFD0/_e0NtRQYOcczeAXmiUf3Ay0l7V9DsbjZACLcBGAs/s400/Separated_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>As before, the top row is the copycat covers and the lower row is their original inspiration. You could argue that the </i>Jimmy Olsen 110<i> infinity cover is an </i>homage<i> to the 1946 </i>Superman 38<i> cover ... but who except for the editor and artist would have known that?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Here's a bunch of Superman Family covers enjoying a second roll of the dice. The <i>Superboy</i> covers are just 18 months apart.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">MARVEL MIMICRY</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I wouldn't want you, dear reader, to presume I'm picking on DC as unprincipled purveyors of parallel portrayals. Marvel have also displayed ill-judged moments of imitation - admittedly, not as many, though.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yvf9qHcL9f0/XWaXLQvgLYI/AAAAAAAAFEM/As_2gdAZOUU6I3KQQ285M_cPX-BceKvjACLcBGAs/s1600/MarvelTwins_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1238" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yvf9qHcL9f0/XWaXLQvgLYI/AAAAAAAAFEM/As_2gdAZOUU6I3KQQ285M_cPX-BceKvjACLcBGAs/s400/MarvelTwins_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I<i>s this deliberate? How would John Romita, Gil Kane and Sal Buscema all manage to draw a comic cover featuring The Tarantula in pretty much identical poses? It's a mystery to me.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The first few times Spider-Man villain The Tarantula appeared on Marvel covers, it might have seemed as though the production department were just sticking the same drawing of the character against slightly different yellow backgrounds. But those really are different covers by three different artists.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Over on the Hulk comic, iconic portrayer of the Angry Green One, Herb Trimpe ("rhymes with blimpy"), produced a run of covers that were ... well, pretty much the same, really.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgGhY43U_BE/XWabFPGI9GI/AAAAAAAAFEY/2MYlTwcHnXUKD1DM95SW3_3vFRKqgHgdwCLcBGAs/s1600/GreenGrabBag_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1247" height="388" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgGhY43U_BE/XWabFPGI9GI/AAAAAAAAFEY/2MYlTwcHnXUKD1DM95SW3_3vFRKqgHgdwCLcBGAs/s400/GreenGrabBag_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Is it Herb Trimpe who loves a low-angle shot? Or might Stan have been telling him that this point-of-view makes for more powerful covers? It's striking how similar these covers are ... they could almost be different drafts of the same cover.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Don't get me wrong, I'm a massive fan of Trimpe's work, and of course, it may not be poor ol' Herb who's to blame for the sameness of the above covers. It could be that Trimpe was being given cover direction by Stan ... but it's interesting that the first seven covers of the Hulk's 1968 run - by Marie Severin - all show The Hulk much larger on the page than the Trimpe covers that followed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iZ2gTtwlrpc/XWjFGfk6GMI/AAAAAAAAFGw/Kn7hq36Sd-QmVLbn7RF8hYvlmqSqajLyQCLcBGAs/s1600/BigHulk_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1245" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iZ2gTtwlrpc/XWjFGfk6GMI/AAAAAAAAFGw/Kn7hq36Sd-QmVLbn7RF8hYvlmqSqajLyQCLcBGAs/s400/BigHulk_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>See? Marie Severin, who was pinch-hitting for Stan as Marvel's in-house corrections artist and was also laying out covers before John Romita took on the role officially, took quite a different approach from Herb Trimpe on how her covers looked.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Researching hundreds of covers to this blog entry, I was struck by how some themes kept coming up. It's as though certain types of subject matter call out to comics editors ... "use me, use me!" Here's some of the more common ones.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">YOU SHOULDA PUT A RING ON IT</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I have no idea whether Mort Weisinger was a fight fan, but he sure used a lot of boxing and wrestling themed covers on the Superman family books.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rfNzAjBrQY/XWanEbgvL6I/AAAAAAAAFEk/aN3XFqN1pWMQMBkIUnjDslJZXY1qJGo5ACLcBGAs/s1600/RingSide_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="1600" height="287" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rfNzAjBrQY/XWanEbgvL6I/AAAAAAAAFEk/aN3XFqN1pWMQMBkIUnjDslJZXY1qJGo5ACLcBGAs/s400/RingSide_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Look at this collection of ringside covers ... whether it's Jimmy Olsen getting KOed, or Jimmy knocking Superman out. Or Superman being beaten up by unlikely antagonists, they all share a certain sameness. You'll never see anything like this on a Marvel cover.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I would guess that Weisinger's thought process was, "Two boxers on a comic cover is dull. Put a superhero in a boxing ring, that's interesting." Having heroes in unusual but slightly mundane situations was a constant theme in DC covers from the 1940s right the way through to the 1970s. There were other examples ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9OgSukr8llA/XWaqWh1kkPI/AAAAAAAAFEw/HY51AZv5iIci5PUFMyxN17XFLtrc8-3LQCLcBGAs/s1600/GSSS001_05-74.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9OgSukr8llA/XWaqWh1kkPI/AAAAAAAAFEw/HY51AZv5iIci5PUFMyxN17XFLtrc8-3LQCLcBGAs/s320/GSSS001_05-74.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Superheroes in a boxing ring? I can't imagine Marvel would ever <br />dream of going down that route, would you?</i></span></td></tr>
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">THEY OUGHT TO BE LOCKED UP</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Something else Weisinger liked to do was to lock his heroes up in jail. It's astonishing that he didn't add a speech balloon to this type of cover to have Superman say, "Aw, not again!" Here's a small selection of just some of the convict Superman covers I was able to uncover ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjuv6Y4PXIE/XWawa9eCjzI/AAAAAAAAFE8/P5B5ii05RYUb415JfA3LCA-ajtR7COfrwCLcBGAs/s1600/BangedUp01_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1248" height="375" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjuv6Y4PXIE/XWawa9eCjzI/AAAAAAAAFE8/P5B5ii05RYUb415JfA3LCA-ajtR7COfrwCLcBGAs/s400/BangedUp01_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>A lot of the time, it was Clark Kent banged up so as to reveal his secret identity (incidentally, I never understood how it was that people even realised </i>Superman had<i> a secret identity. He must've told them, right?) Sometimes, it was Superman imprisoned, taken for a criminal. The </i>World's Finest 156 <i>cover with the bizarros freeing the Joker I included because it's just so goofy.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But it wasn't just Superman who found himself wrongly (or rightly) imprisoned. Other DC superheroes also got in on the act.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j1quuip51ls/XWaxlVbrt8I/AAAAAAAAFFE/aHxt0MhYq78VU1hRhXJBjpNCkEas9BcgACLcBGAs/s1600/BangedUp02_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1253" height="380" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j1quuip51ls/XWaxlVbrt8I/AAAAAAAAFFE/aHxt0MhYq78VU1hRhXJBjpNCkEas9BcgACLcBGAs/s400/BangedUp02_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>"I'm innocent, I tell you. Innocent!" In all fairness, it should only take Batman about ten seconds or so to free himself from a standard jail cell. So why were we so worried?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">OK, mostly Batman ... but you get the idea.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">DC GIANTS - BUT NOT 80-PAGE</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Another common DC cliche is turning their characters into giants. It happened so often that you wondered why any of the supporting characters might be surprised. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eF6aOBsnUIo/XWfYI1qFKWI/AAAAAAAAFFQ/ozO29PK6oBgBemvpsopZbQigayCGqu3CgCLcBGAs/s1600/DCGiants_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="1600" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eF6aOBsnUIo/XWfYI1qFKWI/AAAAAAAAFFQ/ozO29PK6oBgBemvpsopZbQigayCGqu3CgCLcBGAs/s400/DCGiants_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Ooh, a giant Batman in a </i>Giant Batman <i>comic. This was a reprint of </i>Detective 243<i> from 1957 in which Batman became a giant. Later in </i>Batman 177<i> (Dec 1965) he became ... a giant. Jimmy Olsen also became a giant in </i>JO 53<i> (Jun 1961), in a cover that looks awfully close to a cover of the pulp </i>Thrilling Wonder Stories<i>, merely a remarkable coincidence, I'm sure. A very similar image also showed up on the cover of </i>Superboy 30<i> (Jan 1954). What are the odds?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I think the idea started out in Julie Schwatrz's old DC mystery stories of the 1950s, then somehow made its way into the Weiseinger edited superhero titles during the Sixties. These covers must've sold books, or they wouldn't have done them ...</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">GIANT-SIZE MARVELS</span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Over at Marvel Comics, Stan avoided all the DC-style body dysmorphia madness, though he did like covers that depicted his characters as giants, just in a metaphorical way. So you'd often have the huge figure of Doctor Doom towering menacingly over the Fantastic Four, or Magneto and his Evil Whatchamacallems looming threateningly over The X-Men. But that didn't mean that they were actual giants, okay?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JeeSMKFHcHI/XWfgWzB0KII/AAAAAAAAFFc/O5jGlV4VVUIGBjQuM5lLyS2NYRZKd6C9wCLcBGAs/s1600/GiantSizeMarvels01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="1600" height="293" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JeeSMKFHcHI/XWfgWzB0KII/AAAAAAAAFFc/O5jGlV4VVUIGBjQuM5lLyS2NYRZKd6C9wCLcBGAs/s400/GiantSizeMarvels01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>The trope of showing characters, especially villains, as giants on the covers of Marvel Comics was started by Jack Kirby. Perhaps this was some kind of hangover from all those monster covers he drew for </i>Strange Tales <i>and </i>Amazing Adventures<i>. The thing is, we kids knew that Dr Doom and the Mandarin weren't actually 50 foot tall ...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This trend would continue throughout the 1960s and even into the 1970s, though once Stan was no longer involved in the day-to-day running of Marvel, the figuratively colossal characters tailed away. And strangely, it wasn't really a look that DC went for. The closest I could find to this was in an old <i>Justice League</i> cover which is almost - but not quite - depicting the characters as giants for dramatic effect.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uozGnTbzbO4/XWfr0PV2_yI/AAAAAAAAFFo/jLyVYEs9BUcpLsdde3pbKHAL1bQPW-ZOACLcBGAs/s1600/GiantSizeMarvel02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uozGnTbzbO4/XWfr0PV2_yI/AAAAAAAAFFo/jLyVYEs9BUcpLsdde3pbKHAL1bQPW-ZOACLcBGAs/s400/GiantSizeMarvel02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>... and though Kirby might have started the trend, it continued with other artists, so we'd get giant Spider-Men as well as big villains. Look how similar that later </i>Avengers<i> cover is to the </i>Justice League<i> artwork below it. And how about those two brilliant Steranko covers on the right hand side?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Here's a whole other bunch of cover tropes that loomed large during my favourite period of comic ... The Silver Age.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">CATALOGUE OF CLICHES</span></span></h3>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That's right, there are many different themes for comic covers that would crop up more than once. Because of the way DC worked - identifying ideas that they knew would sell books, then building their stories around that - it was more frequent to experience <i>deja vu</i> if you were a DC reader. Stan did it too, as we've seen, but was strangely less formulaic with his covers than you might imagine, given the notorious lack of imagination on the part of his publisher Marty Goodman. </span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Still ... try some of these out for size.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Tu9y_xBZ08/XWgILoCvt2I/AAAAAAAAFF0/LPaffYqicTgi3QS3b8M85JiNkpPtrmoNwCLcBGAs/s1600/batman_WaterTrap_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="830" height="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Tu9y_xBZ08/XWgILoCvt2I/AAAAAAAAFF0/LPaffYqicTgi3QS3b8M85JiNkpPtrmoNwCLcBGAs/s400/batman_WaterTrap_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><b>Holy gurgle:</b> Batman enjoyed this deadly water trap in </i>Batman 166<i> (Sep 1964) so much that he tried it out again just four years later in </i>Batman 207<i> (Dec 1968).</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xa3sS8FVdf4/XWgJtLOQlmI/AAAAAAAAFGA/UphoJNqF0lsYgFbY6f0e86oHiatsx25BgCLcBGAs/s1600/UpPeriscope_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="856" height="278" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xa3sS8FVdf4/XWgJtLOQlmI/AAAAAAAAFGA/UphoJNqF0lsYgFbY6f0e86oHiatsx25BgCLcBGAs/s400/UpPeriscope_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><b>Up periscope: </b>It's a a pretty arresting image, so it's not too much of an assumption to suggest that cover artist on </i>Sub-Mariner 11<i> (Mar 1969) Gene Colan may have - consciously or unconsciously - swiped Jack Burnley's cover idea from </i>Superman 23<i> (Jul 1943).</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjXm7WAbnB4/XWi0dXyCg7I/AAAAAAAAFGM/tbbcNc65S8AJwzPL0Svcm-zJVTlkt20ygCLcBGAs/s1600/Fishing_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="1247" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjXm7WAbnB4/XWi0dXyCg7I/AAAAAAAAFGM/tbbcNc65S8AJwzPL0Svcm-zJVTlkt20ygCLcBGAs/s400/Fishing_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><b>Gone fishing:</b> As a kid, I hated fishing. Yet I clearly recall that the </i>House of Mystery 94<i> on the right is the very first American comic I ever saw on a newsagent's counter some time during 1960. My mum wouldn't buy it for me.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9IzOtmSORJY/XWi2Ac6bOLI/AAAAAAAAFGY/TqGuWXSmsTM_iivZI_Jc9jr4sf-rRS68QCLcBGAs/s1600/TwoWorlds_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="826" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9IzOtmSORJY/XWi2Ac6bOLI/AAAAAAAAFGY/TqGuWXSmsTM_iivZI_Jc9jr4sf-rRS68QCLcBGAs/s400/TwoWorlds_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><b>Between Two Worlds:</b> This is unusual. More often the superhero comic borrows an idea from an old mystery title. This time it's the other way round. The Adam Strange cover on </i>Mystery in Space 82<i> is dated March 1963. The </i>Strange Adventures 181<i> is October 1965. Weird couple of worlds, isn't it?</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2CPISTiLx3A/XWi3XRMC-jI/AAAAAAAAFGk/ZkAb5ChVsuUe01TMueRc3yS2GHS2yszRwCLcBGAs/s1600/ImARobot_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="823" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2CPISTiLx3A/XWi3XRMC-jI/AAAAAAAAFGk/ZkAb5ChVsuUe01TMueRc3yS2GHS2yszRwCLcBGAs/s400/ImARobot_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><b>I'm a Robot: </b>Here's one so odd, you wonder why DC used it twice. You wake up one morning and find that you're a robot. It first turned up on </i>Action Comics 282<i> (Nov 1961) and returned on </i>Green Lantern 36<i> (Apr 1965). Maybe an unconscious acknowledgement of body dysmorphia?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I have literally dozens more examples of comic covers that were separated at birth, more than enough for an additional post, so I think I'll leave the rest for another time.</span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Next: Something Inhuman this way Comes ...</b></span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-50472713366055605832019-07-30T22:52:00.003-07:002024-03-14T13:34:25.021-07:00Women of Marvel: Sue Storm Part 3 - Invisible No More<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>THE EARLY 1960s WAS A TIME OF GREAT CHANGE</b> ... especially for women, though the origins of this change go back to the World War II years. The conflict with Nazi Germany and their allies brought about two big transformations in society. First, with the domestic workforce being drained by volunteers and conscription into the armed forces, women began to take on jobs, formerly reserved for men, in manufacturing and service industries, leading to a change in way women saw themselves and their role in society. As the war ground on, women took a step further, actively participating directly in the war - driving ambulances, operating ant-aircraft guns and even piloting war planes from one airfield to another in order to free combat pilots. Almost half a million women were enrolled in the British Armed Forces, and societal resistance to married women taking jobs faded. In the Soviet Union, nearly a million women served as medics, radio operators, drivers, snipers and even combat pilots. In Germany, women of the League of German Girls assisted the Luftwaffe as anti-aircraft gunners and as guerrilla fighters in Werewolf units behind Allied lines.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CnUWlmE0OuM/XTMr7y3J7lI/AAAAAAAAE-U/oCMe5RJsI64xAm4mUjL6SP9lbAUqgmrsgCLcBGAs/s1600/Rosie_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1482" height="248" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CnUWlmE0OuM/XTMr7y3J7lI/AAAAAAAAE-U/oCMe5RJsI64xAm4mUjL6SP9lbAUqgmrsgCLcBGAs/s400/Rosie_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Though the "We Can Do It!" girl is often referred to as Rosie the Rivetter, the real Rosie was first depicted in a </i>Saturday Evening Post <i>cover by legendary American illustrator Norman Rockwell (yes, the "we're looking for people who like to draw" guy). <b>Click on images to enlarge.</b></i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So when the war ended, it's hardly surprising that many women had little ambition to return to their traditional role of home-maker and unpaid domestic servant, even as their men returned from the War looking to pick up their old lives again. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3eoGO5MbsR4/XTMz6F5g-OI/AAAAAAAAE-g/6iTCJo0dyigPZLjNPRk7IIxC_o7KujodwCLcBGAs/s1600/AdsMontage_1950s.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="1600" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3eoGO5MbsR4/XTMz6F5g-OI/AAAAAAAAE-g/6iTCJo0dyigPZLjNPRk7IIxC_o7KujodwCLcBGAs/s400/AdsMontage_1950s.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Seriously? This is how advertisers in the 1950s saw women? Talk about poking the tiger with a stick ... is it any wonder that as the Sixties rolled around, there would be a feminine backlash against this kind of this nonsense?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">During the 1950s, advertisers simultaneously targeted women as the new consumers while at the same time, reinforcing their stereotyped roles as homemakers. Sociologists even conducted research they said "proved" working women were harmful to the growth of their children. These ill-advised attempts to put the genie back in the bottle resulted in what was called "second wave feminism", where women sought to address the issues of cultural inequalities, just as first wave feminists had battled political inequalities such as suffrage and property ownership.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5drJhxcFng/XTxO8yDEzTI/AAAAAAAAE-s/gFpfhHH5IiQOys1O5SQChspyyAB3FEdKQCLcBGAs/s1600/Betty_Friedan_1960.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="600" height="284" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5drJhxcFng/XTxO8yDEzTI/AAAAAAAAE-s/gFpfhHH5IiQOys1O5SQChspyyAB3FEdKQCLcBGAs/s320/Betty_Friedan_1960.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Betty Friedan in 1960.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Betty Friedan - probably the catalyst and focus for Second Wave Feminism - had been active in both her high school and college newspapers. Graduating in 1943, she first worked as a journalist at the Federated Press, then as a writer on the <i>United Electrical Workers EU News</i>. She was fired from <i>UE News</i> in 1952 because she was pregnant with her second child, a common enough occurrence at the time. She began a freelance career and contributed to a range of magazines, including <i>Cosmopolitan</i>. For the 15th Annual Reunion at Smith College in 1957, Friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her fellow alumni, looking at their post-graduation experiences and satisfaction with their current lives, and started publishing magazine articles about what she called "The Problem That Has No Name", and received many responses from housewives who realised that they weren't alone. Encouraged by the way her articles were received, she reworked and expanded the topic into a book, <i>The Feminine Mystique</i>, which was published in 1963.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ML_iiufhuAo/XTxhdWsv40I/AAAAAAAAE_Q/xJ6o4b0GU6YGHlZ3GFUu-Vldm_pUbunaACLcBGAs/s1600/femine-mystique-1100.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1170" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ML_iiufhuAo/XTxhdWsv40I/AAAAAAAAE_Q/xJ6o4b0GU6YGHlZ3GFUu-Vldm_pUbunaACLcBGAs/s320/femine-mystique-1100.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Betty Friedan's ground-breaking book, </i>The Feminine Mystique<i> (1963), would forever change the way women saw them selves and how they wanted to be seen.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women," Friedan wrote in the early pages of the book. "It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning [that is, a longing] that women suffered in the middle of the 20th century in the United States. Each suburban wife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries … she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question - 'Is this all?'."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Friedan asserted - quite correctly - that women are as capable as men for any type of work or career path, countering the assertions by the mass media, educators and psychologists that working mothers are bad mothers. The book became a bestseller, which many historians believe was the impetus for the "second wave" of the women's movement in the United States, and significantly shaped national and world events.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My point in describing all of this is that Stan and Jack were creating the <i>Fantastic Four </i>comic against this very background. Where they may have started out simply wanting to characterise Sue Storm as being no helpless female victim, as so many other comic heroines were, as 1963 rolled over into 1964, we'd see Sue Storm becoming more assertive about her role in the team and in her relationship with Reed Richards.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnwAdAXUGUg/XTxml1NFSgI/AAAAAAAAE_c/oEITMj1WBRMh4tCXG1wU1bMOj0VI0t3sQCLcBGAs/s1600/FF018_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1200" height="291" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnwAdAXUGUg/XTxml1NFSgI/AAAAAAAAE_c/oEITMj1WBRMh4tCXG1wU1bMOj0VI0t3sQCLcBGAs/s400/FF018_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Though initially, it seems all Sue Storm has to do is act as surrogate mother to her unruly family, it later turns out that yet again, she is key in defeating this issue's seemingly invincible super-baddie.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Fantastic Four 18</i> (Sep 1963) pits the team against a foe who had all their powers, The Super-Skrull. The opening pages have Sue Storm shown as the sensible voice of reason, scolding Ben Grimm for his childish display of temper when a news broadcast cut to commercial rather than showing b-roll of him in action against Dr Doom.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>It's still not perfectly formed yet, but </i>Fantastic Four 18<i> has another instance of Sue - rather than Ben or Johnny - being key to defeating the team's current menace.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But later on in the tale, when Reed figures out where the Super-Skull's power is coming from, he devises a miniature scrambler and reasons that only Sue, as Invisible Girl, can get close enough to the Skrull to plant the device. Yes, it has Reed master-minding the plan to beat their enemy, but once more Stan and Jack demonstrate that he can't do it without Sue.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>It must be pretty humiliating for Sue to be transformed into a female plaything for despotic ruler Rama-Tut, though Stan's copy doesn't give any indication of that. It's a fairly standard threat, familiar to most fictional heroines of the period. Yet Stan and Jack allow Sue her revenge when she defeats the tyrant by freeing her team-mates ... though they could have made more of Sue's triumph.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The following month, </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantastic Four 19</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> had the team travel back in time to the era of the Egyptian Pharaohs in search of a cure for Alicia's blindness. There, they're subdued and enslaved by fellow time traveller Rama-Tut, who may be a descendant of Kang or Dr Doom or both. And yet again, it's Sue who frees the team from captivity to defeat the slightly slimy villain who had ear-marked her for a lifetime of emotional and physical slavery. Given the catharsis of the moment, I'm a little surprised that Stan doesn't give Sue some harsh words to say ... or maybe Sue's just too classy to gloat.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>At the climax of "The Hate Monger" it's up to Sue storm to deflect the aim of the villain's Hate-Ray so that it strikes his minions and turns them against him.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Though Sue doesn't have a great deal to do in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantastic Four 20</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (Nov 1963), Stan and Jack have her as the catalyst in the defeat of another baddie, The Hate Monger, in <i>Fantastic Four 21</i> (Dec 1963). This was the first instance I can think of that Stan and Jack openly address the issue of racism and bigotry in a Marvel comic. Both men were Jewish and both likely would have experienced comments like "Go back where you came from" during their lifetimes. Putting it in a comic book story was pretty ground-breaking, especially against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, which would also have been gathering pace at the time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bk_PUw1j67g/XT2DqyuhJxI/AAAAAAAAFAM/X5uS9lqJ-kUjAgODkA54FYTUP2gVE5C3QCLcBGAs/s1600/ff021_pg04_crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="600" height="378" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bk_PUw1j67g/XT2DqyuhJxI/AAAAAAAAFAM/X5uS9lqJ-kUjAgODkA54FYTUP2gVE5C3QCLcBGAs/s400/ff021_pg04_crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>It's not clear who speaking the line "They're actually agreeing with his un-American sentiments", but my guess is that it's Sue - Ben would have called him "Stretch", and the line doesn't sound grown-up enough for Johnny. It might seem surprising to many today that this scene was inconceivable to readers back in 1963.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The end of the tale has the shocking revelation of The Hate Monger's true identity ... at least it shocked me as a ten year old reading this issue. And, true the form of recent FF issues, it's Sue once again who thwarts the enemy's plan and causes him to fall victim to his own weapon. But we had reached the point where this didn't seem to be enough for Stan and Jack any more. Repeatedly showing Sue rescue the others issue after issue wasn't driving the message home that not only did Sue think more quickly than her companions but often acted more decisively. Something else had to be done. So why not make Sue the most powerful member of the team by extending her meta-human capabilities?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzIqiQW65hg/XT2rObA-btI/AAAAAAAAFAY/G_bTeS-g1m4sRoA9KJaVU9d9vJYGosliwCLcBGAs/s1600/ff022_montage01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzIqiQW65hg/XT2rObA-btI/AAAAAAAAFAY/G_bTeS-g1m4sRoA9KJaVU9d9vJYGosliwCLcBGAs/s400/ff022_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>While running some tests on Sue's super-powers, Reed suspects that Invisible Girl might have abilities beyond simple invisibility. Within a few minutes, Sue spontaneously generates a protective force field, though no one in the room realises the full implications of this new development</i>.</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Fantastic Four 22</i> (Jan 1964) was on sale in early October 1964, around a year after Reed Richards' impassioned defence of Sue's membership of the FF in <i>Fantastic Four 11</i>. The issue opens with Reed Richards running some tests to determine the extent of Sue's abilities. Unexpectedly, in response to Ben and Johnny's horseplay, Sue generates an invisible force field to save herself from being splashed with chemical foam.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Stan and Jack weren't creating these comics in a vacuum and here, they include a sly homage to the popular contemporary tv show, </i>Car 54 Where Are You<i>, that starred a pre-</i>Munsters<i> Fred Gwynne as Officer Muldoon. In Stan's dialogue, the police officer even makes reference to his partner waiting downstairs in the car.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Just as quickly, the FF are besieged by angry neighbours complaining about the Fantastic Four's disruptive behaviour, and are visited by a police officer, who looks suspiciously like <i>Car 54 Where Are You</i>'s Officer Muldoon, about their storing an ICBM in midtown Manhattan.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQ4G-8mFVvI/XT211gOgwwI/AAAAAAAAFAw/Hijb_AcQDf86-QfEGTiMfXoDTDE21rmhgCLcBGAs/s1600/ff022_montage03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQ4G-8mFVvI/XT211gOgwwI/AAAAAAAAFAw/Hijb_AcQDf86-QfEGTiMfXoDTDE21rmhgCLcBGAs/s400/ff022_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Though it's done in quite a comedic way, Stan and Jack are using these scenes to establish the full extent of Sue Storm's newly-discovered abilities. The annoying complainer and his lawyer are swept down the hallway and into the elevator in a style that resembles the telekinesis powers of X-Men's Marvel Girl.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then it's back to more exploration of Sue's new powers. The team establishes that Sue can also make other objects or people invisible, but can't maintain her own invisibility at the same time. And then the story switches back to more complaining neighbours. This back and forth takes up the first half of the issue's 22 story pages.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_wqdIA9UaI/XT25xl7mnII/AAAAAAAAFA8/x8qQ2Wrc9WsRyCexVzf_KOVcFDTJ4v-8wCLcBGAs/s1600/ff022_montage04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_wqdIA9UaI/XT25xl7mnII/AAAAAAAAFA8/x8qQ2Wrc9WsRyCexVzf_KOVcFDTJ4v-8wCLcBGAs/s400/ff022_montage04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>I always thought The Mole Man was a pretty weak villain, and he's easily thwarted by Sue, using her force field power. Stan and Jack also reveal an additional ability when they have Sue force invisible objects to become visible.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">When we do find out what's going on, it turns out to be nothing more complicated that the FF's old Foe, the Mole Man, looking for revenge. And it's Invisible Girl's force field power that saves the day.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As the saga of the Fantastic Four unfolds over the next couple of years, Sue's increasingly sophisticated abilities play key roles in saving the team from disaster. In the climax of their battle with evil counterparts The Frightful Four, in <i>FF 38</i> (May 1965), it's Sue's force field that ensures the survival of the team.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvdgQtqnBPA/XT8rG2Iwe1I/AAAAAAAAFBI/AP8HlJKrBoYK7Z92MKfAQOPPorh8jjS2gCLcBGAs/s1600/ff038_montage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1200" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvdgQtqnBPA/XT8rG2Iwe1I/AAAAAAAAFBI/AP8HlJKrBoYK7Z92MKfAQOPPorh8jjS2gCLcBGAs/s400/ff038_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>If this had happened just a year earlier ... bye bye, Fantastic Four. But incredibly, Sue Storm's force field power shields the team from even a nuclear detonation. And she's unconscious, as well! Tell me again how Invisible Girl is the weakest member of the FF ...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It's Reed and Sue's engagement in <i>Fantastic Four 35</i> (Feb 1965) and their marriage in <i>Fantastic Four Annual 3</i> (Nov 1965) that turns the team into a proper family, but it's Sue's humanity and empathy that remains the moral compass of the team across the years that followed.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Around this point in the Fantastic Four saga is where Stan should have accepted the obvious and changed Sue Storm's superhero name to Invisible Woman. However, opportunity missed, it was left to John Byrne to make that change nearly thirty years later in </i>Fantastic Four 234<i> (Nov 1985).</i></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And though Invisible Girl took maternity leave in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantastic Four 83</i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (Feb 1969) and was replaced by Crystal of The Inhumans, then later by Medusa in <i>Fantastic Four 130</i> (Jan 1973), and again by She-Hulk in <i>Fantastic Four 265</i> (Apr 1984), she would always return to take up her role as the most grown-up member of the Fantastic Four, and eventually became leader of the team in <i>Fantastic Four 382</i> (Nov 1993).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Next: Separated at Birth II</b></span>
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AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-54127213997398131532019-06-23T09:15:00.000-07:002019-07-23T10:46:42.181-07:00Women of Marvel: Sue Storm Part 2 - Fade In<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>WHEN I WAS TEN</b>, back in 1965, girls were just pests. They didn't like playing football or war. They didn't climb trees, or draw on walls or commit other acts of senseless vandalism. They were, well ... kind of annoying. Certainly that's what the DC comics editors seemed to think as well. Just about every DC female supporting character was simply a thorn in the side of their respective superhero. Queen of the bunch was Lois Lane - though Lana Lang gave her some competition. I think what I liked least about Lois Lane that she was often depicted as, at best, selfish and, at worst, downright spiteful.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Really ... this isn't the kind of behaviour I'd expect from a grown woman. Lois clearly doesn't care about anyone - not Superman, not Lana - except herself. What a completely ghastly human being. No wonder us ten-year-olds didn't like girls much.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In other parts of the DC universe, other supporting females seemed every bit as snoopy and as suspicious as Lois. Even Iris West, Barry (The Flash) Allen's girl friend - also a journalist - sometimes accused Barry of being the Scarlet Speedster.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>It's a common comic book trope ... but why would a supporting character, usually female, be so hell-bent on uncovering the identity of a superhero? These guys fight some pretty scary dudes. Knowing such information puts both the supporting character and the hero in genuine danger.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was this an insight into the minds of the men who created these stories or simply a reflection of the times? Probably a bit of both. So how refreshing it was when Stan Lee's Marvel Comics came along and actively worked to dispel this stereotyped female supporting character. We never saw Betty Brant use an elaborate hoax to blackmail Spider-Man into marrying her, nor Nurse Jane Foster trying to uncover Thor's secret identity to ruin his life. And although Sue Storm and Janet Van Dyne were held hostage by some baddy or other more often than I would like, they still managed to battle in the front line with their male counterparts, giving as good as they got.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As it turns out, in <i>Fantastic Four 12</i> (Mar 1963), it is, once again, Sue Storm that saves the day during the climactic showdown with the mysterious commie saboteur, The Wrecker, on the missile base where Dr Bruce Banner works. That's right, the same month that The Hulk was battling the Metal Master in the last issue of his own book, The Hulk was guest-starring in <i>Fantastic Four</i>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iH8QLIreCow/XPDJVZ_sydI/AAAAAAAAE6k/9PiuHOCWblosgKg_s2arcbraPWMVf7F9gCLcBGAs/s1600/Marvels_03-63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="1260" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iH8QLIreCow/XPDJVZ_sydI/AAAAAAAAE6k/9PiuHOCWblosgKg_s2arcbraPWMVf7F9gCLcBGAs/s400/Marvels_03-63.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>That's a terrific bargain for just 36c, right there. The same month that The Hulk's regular title was cancelled, he encountered The Fantastic Four. And they also crossed over into the first issue of </i>The Amazing Spider-Man<i>. I think I'd happily pay 60c for that trio of issues. </i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And once again, Sue Storm was playing a pivotal role. Admittedly, there were a couple of lapses on Stan's part about just what sort of character he saw Sue as being. For example, early in the story, while the Four are being briefed by General Ross about the "menace" of The Hulk, Sue has a nervous episode and involuntarily fades from sight. It's not Sue's finest hour.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byKmmQnquqI/XPJAaaFkRCI/AAAAAAAAE6w/hL7_DxaLP7oDK-thzOJ9oS1RtzHz06VBQCLcBGAs/s1600/FF012_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1200" height="331" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byKmmQnquqI/XPJAaaFkRCI/AAAAAAAAE6w/hL7_DxaLP7oDK-thzOJ9oS1RtzHz06VBQCLcBGAs/s400/FF012_montage.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>We might just about be able to wave it off as a "sign of the times", but really? After all the good work Stan did in issue 11 of </i>Fantastic Four,<i> he gives us this? That's a pretty shoddy way to treat Sue Storm. However, Stan and Jack do try to balance it out later in the story. </i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, at the end of a testosterone-fuelled bragging session from the rest of the FF, Sue wonders what she can contribute to the battle. General Ross suggests that "a pretty lady can always be of help ... just by keeping the men's morale up." Stan can almost be forgiven for that, because you could infer that it's Ross' personal view. But then Stan ruins it by having Reed agree with him. Dear, oh dear ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyhow, the story rumbles on, Reed Richards and Bruce Banner meet, Rick Jones discovers the saboteur's communist party membership card in his wallet and is captured, and The Thing tests a rocket sled and discovers more of the The Wrecker's handiwork. The FF battle the Hulk for three and a half pages before Ben and Sue stumble across The Wrecker's lair.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5xNWeoqqLMc/XPJEMbaiSlI/AAAAAAAAE68/Sk6prrOivCkkBSeLDyVYjIu9hBf4aTVSwCLcBGAs/s1600/FF012_pg21-22_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="800" height="395" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5xNWeoqqLMc/XPJEMbaiSlI/AAAAAAAAE68/Sk6prrOivCkkBSeLDyVYjIu9hBf4aTVSwCLcBGAs/s400/FF012_pg21-22_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Despite their earlier lapses in judgement in this story, Stan and Jack allow Sue Storm to redeem herself by disarming The Wrecker and saving Ben from his "Atomic-Powered Ray".</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The tale closes with the Wrecker captured, The Hulk missing again and a hint that Reed Richards may suspect The Hulk's true identity, though I don't think Stan went anywhere with that idea ... there definitely wasn't any mention of it the next time the FF met The Hulk (<i>Fantastic Four 25</i>, Apr 1964).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next issue, <i>Fantastic Four 13</i> (Apr 1963), has Sue saving the day again. Battling The Red Ghost and his super-powered apes in the mysterious Blue Area on the Moon, while the equally mysterious Watcher looks on, it's Sue who once again drives most of the plot. Though she's captured by The Red Ghost and imprisoned behind a force field - interesting choice of prisons given what lay ahead for Sue Storm - she uses her own ingenuity rather than her invisibility power to escape. She sabotages the force field device, freeing herself as well as the Red Ghost's super-apes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ju9oK0fpnFc/XPObIZzfdZI/AAAAAAAAE7Q/tKbtCB2zl3oWRTKviWzWVHU04V_FTr7pgCLcBGAs/s1600/FF013_pg18-19_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1200" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ju9oK0fpnFc/XPObIZzfdZI/AAAAAAAAE7Q/tKbtCB2zl3oWRTKviWzWVHU04V_FTr7pgCLcBGAs/s400/FF013_pg18-19_montage.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>It's telling that Sue uses her brain rather than her powers to escape The Red Ghost's force field prison. She also gives an uplifting speech about how the Communist masses are enslaved by their evil leaders. Stan's commie bashing was legendary during this period. But to be fair, I remember being terrified of the Russians when I was a kid.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, at the end of the story, she fearlessly walks into a deadly disintegrating ray to save her brother. Johnny explains for the benefit of the readers that the ray doesn't "react against anything which is below the visible spectrum of light", which is lucky, I guess. Finally, it's the super-apes that chase the defeated Red Ghost off, so I suppose it's Sue who's responsible for the villain's ultimate fate.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8kINHZB9cKw/XPOembPjlMI/AAAAAAAAE7c/kokD3Vu_fDEm42F3A5LWwTLji5ee7U6iACLcBGAs/s1600/FF013_pg19-20_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="800" height="392" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8kINHZB9cKw/XPOembPjlMI/AAAAAAAAE7c/kokD3Vu_fDEm42F3A5LWwTLji5ee7U6iACLcBGAs/s400/FF013_pg19-20_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>This is pretty brave of Sue ... she knows it's a trap though she doesn't know that the trap won't affect her ... but she walks into it anyway. As it would later develop, that is the essence of Sue Storm's character. Always ready to sacrifice herself for another.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Were Stan and Jack making a deliberate point here? I think so. By this stage in the Fantastic Four's evolution, I think both creators were looking to move beyond the comic book cliche of having the female character portrayed as either a hostage or an assistant. I don't think they had yet figured out how to do it. Though there's flashes of Sue being portrayed as a strong and non-dependent woman, there are as many instances of the old tropes re-surfacing, with Sue depicted as doing something daft and "typical woman"-ish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Fantastic Four 14</i> (May 1963) begins with the FF returning from the Moon. This is unusual, because other comics of the time rarely - if ever - made any reference to the previous issue at all. <i>FF14</i> carries straight on from <i>FF13</i> like they were chapters in a continuing story. They're treated to a heroes' welcome and slightly surprisingly, it's Sue who seems the least unable to cope.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FH6ozyp6DT4/XQctoaKvK3I/AAAAAAAAE7s/_88H0eJ7_OAbNNa1JjXRR5VLZyqq0gIMQCLcBGAs/s1600/FF014_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="1333" height="297" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FH6ozyp6DT4/XQctoaKvK3I/AAAAAAAAE7s/_88H0eJ7_OAbNNa1JjXRR5VLZyqq0gIMQCLcBGAs/s400/FF014_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The opening scene from </i>Fantastic Four 14<i> ... the FF touch down in their mooncraft and are immediately mobbed with well-wishers and opportunists. When you read the dialogue, it doesn't seem as thought Sue's actions match the words in the balloons. Sue's distress continues throughout the scene and manifests itself with the impatient gesture in the final frame.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that does seem at odds with what Stan and Jack had been doing with the character up till this point. It does indicate to me an example of perhaps Jack intending one thing with the art and Stan taking the story is a slightly different direction with the dialogue. Take a look at the body language in the above (edited) sequence. A couple of hucksters are trying to get Sue to endorse their products and she holds her head in her hands like she can't cope. Even after The Torch's drastic rescue, Sue still seems stressed and anxious. Her attitude in the final panel of the scene appears more like exasperation than the resignation the dialogue suggests.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'd love to know what the original intention of the story was. I'm pretty sure it ties in with Sue seeking out the Sub-Mariner in later scenes. Perhaps Namor represents an escape from the pressure of fame and the constant demands on her to be mother to three child-men.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKm5Yo2whIg/XQcysojzttI/AAAAAAAAE74/pYmSt3bvXy8u1xZYjvvX1sjTIKCUII77gCLcBGAs/s1600/FF014_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1200" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKm5Yo2whIg/XQcysojzttI/AAAAAAAAE74/pYmSt3bvXy8u1xZYjvvX1sjTIKCUII77gCLcBGAs/s400/FF014_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>So Reed's finished his report and he's going to get Sue to type it up? Wassamatter, Richards? Your fingers broken? Do it yourself! This again reads to me like Stan was taking the story in a slightly different direction to what Kirby drew.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The very next scene has some pretty insensitive behaviour from Reed, when he goes looking for Sue - not to check she's okay, but to give her some menial, meaningless task. He catches her red-handed, gazing dreamily at the oceans depths, her mind on Prince Namor. Again, all Reed can think about is himself. Then, just as Sue's giving up on ever finding The Sub-Mariner, coincidence takes a hand and The Puppet Master influences Namor to influence a "hypno-fish" to influence Sue to be drawn to a riverside pier.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQRfQFa9r4k/XQ4CQqeQgcI/AAAAAAAAE8E/GyY_A7ES5lsNwvyxeGV06YB-_lFawgsDgCLcBGAs/s1600/FF014_montage03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1200" height="282" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQRfQFa9r4k/XQ4CQqeQgcI/AAAAAAAAE8E/GyY_A7ES5lsNwvyxeGV06YB-_lFawgsDgCLcBGAs/s400/FF014_montage03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>It's said that you can't be hypnotised to do something that would be against your unhypnotised will, so it's no great surprise that Sue Storm is susceptible to Namor's hypno-fish. What's harder to believe is that the hypno-fish can project an oxygen-filled membrane from its belly and that Sue can be placed inside without tearing the skin ...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Under the control of The Puppet Master, Namor then holds Sue hostage to draw the rest of the FF into a trap. As it pans out, I think The Sub-Mariner treats Sue slightly better than Reed does, as at least by the end of the story, he trusts Sue's own free will to lead her to the right choice - Namor or Reed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Gxz8SFUY8Y/XQ4JcPpcuMI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/hFw7ek54iDg3rEFgc_uNJ3uvYd8IeOV9QCLcBGAs/s1600/FF014_montage04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1600" height="156" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Gxz8SFUY8Y/XQ4JcPpcuMI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/hFw7ek54iDg3rEFgc_uNJ3uvYd8IeOV9QCLcBGAs/s400/FF014_montage04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"Et tu, Ben?" The Thing expresses surprise that Sue is "a female who could keep her mouth shut so long." Then adds, "One side, Sue. We got us some mopping up to do." Yet Sue stands her ground and protects Namor because he hasn't been responsible for his actions.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even as the tale draws to a close, Johnny suspects that the Sub-Mariner wasn't acting of his own free will, while Reed remains broody and silent, probably fretting over Namor's taunt that he should hold on to Sue, if he can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm sure that by the mores of the times, Stan and Jack were doing something quite revolutionary with Sue's character. A world away from the manipulative unpleasantness of Lois lane and the featureless monotony of Flash and Green Lantern's girlfriends, Sue Storm at least had a life beyond Reed Richards. But in retrospect, it still seems a bit clumsy and unfocussed. And reading these stories now, it does seem like Stan and Jack were pulling in slightly different directions, though both were bound by the prevailing contemporary attitudes towards women. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following issue, <i>Fantastic Four 15</i> (Jun 1963), didn't give Sue Storm a great deal to do. In fact, her role was mostly confined to fulfilling her dreams of becoming a famous actress.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RCife2-Ecjk/XQ5FtOG18pI/AAAAAAAAE8c/cH2XLIyjo1g-AURY8c8d_JSp_N9hbYLtQCLcBGAs/s1600/FF015_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RCife2-Ecjk/XQ5FtOG18pI/AAAAAAAAE8c/cH2XLIyjo1g-AURY8c8d_JSp_N9hbYLtQCLcBGAs/s400/FF015_montage.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Stan and Jack seem uncertain as to whether Sue Storm will be starring on Broadway or going to Hollywood. Either way, Sue never really voiced any ambitions to get into show biz up until </i>Fantastic Four 15<i> ... so I guess Stan wasn't thinking too much about continuity at this point.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was a bit of a surprise to many readers. Back in <i>FF9</i>, when the team was broke and the only way to make money was to star in a movie produced by The Sub-Mariner, Sue didn't seem that excited about becoming a famous actress.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zYorYGeqo4k/XQ5HpIBakiI/AAAAAAAAE8o/qNgBrdhKJ-wKMvurUiNr9yqjJtA8-5vxwCLcBGAs/s1600/FF009_pg05_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="800" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zYorYGeqo4k/XQ5HpIBakiI/AAAAAAAAE8o/qNgBrdhKJ-wKMvurUiNr9yqjJtA8-5vxwCLcBGAs/s400/FF009_pg05_crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Back in </i>Fantastic Four 9<i> (Dec 1962), Sue and the team were offered the chance to star in a Hollywood movie, playing themselves ... but Sue seemed more interested in the money than the lure of fame.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But by <i>Fantastic Four 15</i>, it's apparently all she's ever wanted to do. It's not Sue's finest hour, and Stan's making her out to be a bit of cliched "vain girl". Worse, that's her sole contribution to the story. OK ... I agree it's not reasonable to expect that Sue Storm should always drive the plot of every FF tale. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And perhaps Stan, or Jack, or both, were thinking that Sue should be longing to be a regular girl rather than a superhero with an obligation to constantly bail out her teammates and the rest of the human race ... but I don't think they were quite that clear in how they should go about that in these early stories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The contradictions in Sue's character show up again in the very next issue, <i>Fantastic Four 16</i> (Jul 1963). For a moment - possibly due to the proximity of Ant-Man (Hank Pym) - Sue Storm turns into Janet Van Dyne, and makes an inappropriate and, frankly, sexist comment ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Ycu-StXFfg/XQ8ioxHcGDI/AAAAAAAAE80/olnRPgbURnk4uo9_zq_OrT26zwdsgaaBACLcBGAs/s1600/FF016_pg08_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="1011" height="208" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Ycu-StXFfg/XQ8ioxHcGDI/AAAAAAAAE80/olnRPgbURnk4uo9_zq_OrT26zwdsgaaBACLcBGAs/s400/FF016_pg08_edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>So Sue Storm declares Ant-Man innocent of any involvement in their current plight based on how attractive he is? Maybe Stan was trying to lighten the moment, but ascribing Janet Van Dyne style dialogue to Sue Storm doesn't seem appropriate in this context.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite the momentary lapse, Sue goes on to distinguish herself during this adventure by once again placing herself in danger and saving the day. However, along the way there are a couple of strange lapses in logic and in Marvel's internal technology.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For example, in this issue we're given to believe that this is the first time Reed Richards and Henry Pym have met, despite both being distinguished scientists.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r0kXAoB8Ioo/XQ8m4CPnciI/AAAAAAAAE9A/OICTJW7iiFEit7NRF0m8KsBCsn82R7dYQCLcBGAs/s1600/FF016_pg06_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="1200" height="108" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r0kXAoB8Ioo/XQ8m4CPnciI/AAAAAAAAE9A/OICTJW7iiFEit7NRF0m8KsBCsn82R7dYQCLcBGAs/s400/FF016_pg06_edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Reed Richards gives no indication that he's ever met Ant-Man or Hank Pym. Sue Storm even goes so far as to question Ant-Man's existence ... not entirely unbelievable, as this would have taken place a couple of months before the formation of The Avengers.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet, back in <i>Tales to Astonish 35</i> (Sep 1962), an editorial footnote explains that Ant-Man's costume contains unstable molecules. The technology is mentioned in <i>Fantastic Four 6</i> (also Sep 1962) - but on sale a week later - and Richards is usually credited with inventing, or at least discovering, the phenomenon. So how come Hank Pym's costume is made of the material?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, when The FF use Hank Pym's shrinking formula - gas when Ant-Man uses it, liquid when Reed deploys it - the test tubes containing the formula shrink with them. Are the test tubes also made of unstable molecules?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WMI2elnp-Sc/XQ8rYTLmqhI/AAAAAAAAE9M/0dQ-4bTMH2E32i6GGSzEDCapHRuRyRs6ACLcBGAs/s1600/FF016_pg12_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="1175" height="162" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WMI2elnp-Sc/XQ8rYTLmqhI/AAAAAAAAE9M/0dQ-4bTMH2E32i6GGSzEDCapHRuRyRs6ACLcBGAs/s400/FF016_pg12_edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The mystery of the shrinking test tubes. Is the glass made of unstable molecules, <br />or did Jack just make a mistake that Stan didn't spot?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">OK, maybe I am nitpicking a little ... but another interesting thing in this issue is that we get to see Sue in the lab working on a formula to mask her smell from dogs and other animals. We've not had any indication up to this point that Sue is a scientist, and I don't think it was ever mentioned again, but it's an interesting notion.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hq5hCW8jvEA/XQ8tKB9PugI/AAAAAAAAE9Y/nqFei_rIY2gcknW27hEAf37UDaJBmwRsACLcBGAs/s1600/FF016_pg11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hq5hCW8jvEA/XQ8tKB9PugI/AAAAAAAAE9Y/nqFei_rIY2gcknW27hEAf37UDaJBmwRsACLcBGAs/s400/FF016_pg11.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Sue Storm quite correctly observes that even while she is invisible dogs can still locate her by her scent, so she's working on a chemical which would mask her presence even from animals with a sharp sense of smell ... it doesn't work, though.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later in the story, though, Sue comes up with an idea that gets the rest of a the team out of a tight spot. Imprisoned in a capsule beneath a lake of acid, only Sue has the presence of mind to devise an escape plan. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OFGuSYiFisg/XQ9gMRqo5RI/AAAAAAAAE9k/cxyduuPthywAbHq7LqL-f6vZEqoJLrYaACLcBGAs/s1600/FF016_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OFGuSYiFisg/XQ9gMRqo5RI/AAAAAAAAE9k/cxyduuPthywAbHq7LqL-f6vZEqoJLrYaACLcBGAs/s400/FF016_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>It's Sue's moment ... her plan to escape the acid prison is pretty smart. Then Ben messes it up with some more of Kirby's dodgy science. Taking a deep breath of the available air will do nothing to increase the buoyancy of the acid-proof capsule. Only jettisoning weight would achieve that.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not only that, but she somehow manages to get ahead of the rest of the FF and free Ant-Man so that she and Dr Pym can defeat Doom, leaving Reed, Johnny and Ben with just mop-up duties. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jRCOgz2sANc/XQ9ibtn-yiI/AAAAAAAAE9w/XrbsXe0Lm0kYsuN_3Bye8-iXP2TCtJQ0gCLcBGAs/s1600/FF016_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="800" height="372" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jRCOgz2sANc/XQ9ibtn-yiI/AAAAAAAAE9w/XrbsXe0Lm0kYsuN_3Bye8-iXP2TCtJQ0gCLcBGAs/s400/FF016_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Not so much the Fantastic Four, more the Fantastic Two ... Ant-Man and the Invisible Girl defeat the deadly Dr Doom, while the rest of the Fantastic Four play catch-up.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sue pretty much does the same thing in <i>Fantastic Four 17</i> (Aug 1963) ... the story continues straight on from <i>FF16</i> and once more, it's Sue's invisibility power that defeats the bad guy. Gaining access to Doom's high-altitude hideaway, the Fantastic Four split up to divide Doom's attention and to free his hostage Alicia. While the other three are defeated and captured one-by-one, Sue finds Alicia, frees her and takes her place. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SwsY6OhgpYA/XQ9pXn4TFmI/AAAAAAAAE98/ixuF1aumLTYHBbkwuFecrVpe6wJDUeNzQCLcBGAs/s1600/FF017_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SwsY6OhgpYA/XQ9pXn4TFmI/AAAAAAAAE98/ixuF1aumLTYHBbkwuFecrVpe6wJDUeNzQCLcBGAs/s400/FF017_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>In </i>Fantastic Four 17<i>, Stan and Jack once again have Invisible Girl turn out to be the most effective member of the FF, by outsmarting Dr Doom several times before her stronger teammates arrive to give her a hand. Even I'm starting to think by this point, Lee and Kirby are overdoing it ...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For some reason, Doom doesn't realise his hostage's hair has turned from red to blonde - I noticed at least one other instance of someone referring to Alicia's hair as blonde, so it seems both Stan and Jack were still a little confused over this - and is surprised to encounter Sue Storm, instead. The Invisible Girl then makes Doom look like a clumsy clod, evades his ingenious "Invisible Person Trap" and finally tosses him around with her judo moves before the rest of the team shows up. Realising the jig is up, Doom jumps from his airborne stronghold and disappears ... again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It does seem that both Stan and Jack are trying very hard to counter the early criticisms of some readers that The Invisible Girl is the least interesting member of the team. Issue after issue, they've had Sue disarming baddies and freeing the others from traps. This may partly be because of the nature of her invisibility powers but I think there's also an element of a conscious effort to show a female as a strong and vital member of the team, something that hadn't really been done in comics up till this point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's interesting, too, that this was all happening in 1963 - the same year that Betty Friedans' ground-breaking book <i>The Feminine Mystique</i> was released. It's possible that Stan and Jack hadn't actually read the book, but they could hardly have been unaware of it, as it sold over one million copies and would have been endlessly discussed in newspapers and on television.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As the rest of the year unspooled, Lee and Kirby would continue to push a female agenda in the next few issues of "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine", and I'll be looking at the amazing transformation of Sue Storm from the weakest member of the Fantastic Four to the strongest ... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Next time: The problem that has no name</b></span><br />
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AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-89947035531082797822019-05-14T11:18:00.000-07:002019-07-23T10:46:25.141-07:00Women of Marvel: Sue Storm Part 1 - Fade Out<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>COMICS ARE FOR BOYS.</b> At least, that appeared to be the prevailing wisdom among comics publishers during the post-war years. Even in 1947, when comic creator superstars Joe Simon and Jack Kirby invented the romance comic and attracted a whole new female audience, the women in comics were depicted as either terrifying dragon ladies or as meek homemakers. There didn't seem to be anything in between. Except maybe for Wonder Woman. I'm still not sure where she fits in ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V7M_G3_CZbg/XM6lUu17RYI/AAAAAAAAE2M/u3vwK1s3EFE5xIr4IZvRH12aErRXWHJggCLcBGAs/s1600/ff010_pinup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V7M_G3_CZbg/XM6lUu17RYI/AAAAAAAAE2M/u3vwK1s3EFE5xIr4IZvRH12aErRXWHJggCLcBGAs/s400/ff010_pinup.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">OK, so Sue Storm was the final member of the FF to be awarded a pinup page (she had to wait till issue 10), and she's described here as "Glamorous" rather than as smart or resourceful or any number of more appropriate adjectives, but at least she's in the team.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wonder Woman was created by DC's psychology consultant William Moulton Marston. Based partly on his wife Elizabeth and partly on his <i>menage-a-trois</i> lover, Olive Byrne, Wonder Woman was conceived as an answer to the testosterone-heavy heroes appearing in just about every other comic published at the beginning of the 1940s. Said Marston, "Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don't want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women's strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p_uZQjaHUo0/XNKlng7utqI/AAAAAAAAE2s/Rgq_ZmY4NGEncSx8cXFVwYVtGAdqBO3LQCLcBGAs/s1600/allstar011-3_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="1328" height="166" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p_uZQjaHUo0/XNKlng7utqI/AAAAAAAAE2s/Rgq_ZmY4NGEncSx8cXFVwYVtGAdqBO3LQCLcBGAs/s400/allstar011-3_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Wonder Woman first appeared in </i>All-Star Comics,<i> first as a guest of the Justice Society, then as their secretary ... that's right, the most powerful being on the planet was in the Justice Society to take minutes and make coffee.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The thing is, it didn't really pan out like that for Wonder Woman. First appearing in <i>All-Star Comics 8</i> (Dec 1941), as a guest star in the Justice Society Story, though she didn't take part in their adventures as a fighting teammate. She was shortly afterwards "promoted" to honorary member and then team secretary. Incredibly, Wonder Woman's response was, "I don't think I was so thrilled in my life."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3e9FxFvGJRk/XNKpnaFj1wI/AAAAAAAAE24/oI8W0KDUHPox-foFKd5oNmp8C8pEKDJgACLcBGAs/s1600/sensation002_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="1225" height="178" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3e9FxFvGJRk/XNKpnaFj1wI/AAAAAAAAE24/oI8W0KDUHPox-foFKd5oNmp8C8pEKDJgACLcBGAs/s400/sensation002_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The early Wonder Woman stories started off interesting, but before too long, Marston's kinks came to the fore and Wonder Woman was spending way too much time either tied up or displaying sapphic tendencies. Finally, by 1948, it had become so blatant that Marston was removed from the writing chores and Bob Kanigher took over.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When the character got her own series in <i>Sensation Comics 1</i> (Jan 1942), she rapidly fell into oft-repeated cliches - Wonder Woman beating up men, Wonder Woman in a cat-fight and Wonder Woman tied up.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There had been other female comics heroines before Wonder Woman ... Sheena, Lady Luck and Phantom Lady (all created by Will Eisner), The Black Cat at Harvey and Marvel's reprints of the <i>Miss Fury</i> newspaper strip. But Wonder Woman was the most enduring and would later fare a little better as a member of the Justice League in the 1960s.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ifisA7xbQ-0/XM6tFjS44HI/AAAAAAAAE2Y/hger2NbU_AQQXRdMpp6md3ZAe2TiciEaACLcBGAs/s1600/YoungRomPhantomLady_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1262" height="178" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ifisA7xbQ-0/XM6tFjS44HI/AAAAAAAAE2Y/hger2NbU_AQQXRdMpp6md3ZAe2TiciEaACLcBGAs/s400/YoungRomPhantomLady_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The first issue of </i>Young Romance<i> from Simon and Kirby managed to fit both female stereotypes on the cover. Miss Fury was an angry and violent character from the newspaper strips, collected and reprinted by Marvel in the early 1940's and Phantom Lady, along with Sheena Queen of the Jungle, was pretty much a pinup character.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So when Marvel publisher Martin Goodman instructed Stan Lee (and Jack Kirby) to come up with a version of DC's Justice League comic, the result was <i>The Fantastic Four</i> in 1961, which at least made some effort to bring some changes and put a female superhero on equal footing her male counterparts. Not that it was always successful ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's not much recorded about the actual creation of the FF, all those years ago. Any stories that have been told are apocryphal. So I certainly can't give you a definitive origin story here. But I have a couple of insights to share.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Firstly, there's the Stan Lee synopsis that turned up several years after the first issue of FF was published. Some have disputed its authenticity, but I have no reason to doubt it's the real article. It certainly reads convincingly. And it has Stan's tone ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pq7Z3rN57g0/XNK8vHgbLhI/AAAAAAAAE3M/l7puJqYDTGwaQdlbAsQLNlo3pAf2rdElwCLcBGAs/s1600/FF-Synopsis_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pq7Z3rN57g0/XNK8vHgbLhI/AAAAAAAAE3M/l7puJqYDTGwaQdlbAsQLNlo3pAf2rdElwCLcBGAs/s400/FF-Synopsis_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>All the basic elements of the </i>Fantastic Four<i> are here in this synopsis by Stan Lee, though there were a couple of changes - Johnny Storm is not a star athlete and Sue is not an actress. And Ben Grimm is just some guy Reed Richards hired to fly the ship. The characters evolved very quickly over the early issues ... <b>click to enlarge</b>.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What's interesting - and adds authenticity, in my view - is that the characters and the basic principles of the team dynamic are not fully formed here. There's a reference to the idea that Johnny becomes the Torch when he gets excited. That didn't happen in the final comic book, but Stan would eventually recycle the concept and glue it to The Hulk when the original Kirby version of ol' Greenskin failed. There's also mention that Sue will have to take her clothes off to be fully invisible - Stan no doubt lifting that idea from the old Universal <i>Invisible Man</i> (1933) movie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, secondly, the underlying hook that I think many missed - including Stan and Jack, it seems - is that the members of the Fantastic Four embody the four elements of alchemy.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sue Storm is Air - you can see right through her like she's not there</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ben Grimm is Earth - rocky, solid and immoveable</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Johnny Storm is Fire, literally, and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Reed Richards is Water - able to flow, adapt to any shape and pass through the tiniest of gaps.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet I can't recall an instance in any FF comic where that parallel is mentioned ... and tellingly, Stan and Jack would work to ensure that Sue Storm was only invisible in the literal sense and not in the figurative. While there were occasions on which Sue was captured and held hostage, like the average female comic book character, there were many more times when she saved the day ... </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Indeed, in the very first issue of <i>Fantastic Four</i> (Nov 1961), Sue is the first member of the team we encounter.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6GxKoDjmFtk/XNLZ2yWwkLI/AAAAAAAAE3Y/yQDYQwlYRPUzow6gQ9mIDNND2IyzRqiDgCLcBGAs/s1600/ff001_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1200" height="282" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6GxKoDjmFtk/XNLZ2yWwkLI/AAAAAAAAE3Y/yQDYQwlYRPUzow6gQ9mIDNND2IyzRqiDgCLcBGAs/s400/ff001_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Sue Storm appears on page 2 of the first </i>Fantastic Four<i> adventure. The idea of the Invisible Girl having to disrobe to be truly invisible has been abandoned, though there are some indicators that Ms Storm is known in high society circles. And it can't be any coincidence that it's also Sue who first manifests superpowers when the team return from that fateful space voyage.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In <i>Fantastic Four 3</i> (Mar 1962), it's Sue that goes after the escaping Miracle Man when her teammates are defeated. And even though she's discovered and hypnotised by the baddie, she doesn't really fit the stereotypical comics-female template ... well, not quite. Stan and Jack do have her design the costumes for the FF. But this is more a sign of the times, I think, than any malice on the part of Lee and Kirby. If one of the male team members had shown a flair for clothes-design in 1962, it would have raised eyebrows.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-upOfc9kdOgE/XNLgsoMHznI/AAAAAAAAE3k/H-_HMT5MhSoGev5ItyqQflK41fw83WwvwCLcBGAs/s1600/ff003_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-upOfc9kdOgE/XNLgsoMHznI/AAAAAAAAE3k/H-_HMT5MhSoGev5ItyqQflK41fw83WwvwCLcBGAs/s400/ff003_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Even though Sue's invisibility powers make her the perfect candidate to trail the Miracle Man to his hideout, it still takes pluck to attempt it without the support of her stronger teammates. It's just a pity that Stan and Jack relegated her to a dress designer in the first half of the comic.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the introduction of The Sub-Mariner in <i>Fantastic Four 4</i> (May 1962), Stan and Jack added another dimension to Sue's character. She finds herself drawn to one of the team's deadliest enemies ... and he to her. It's a much better story idea than having Ben infatuated with Sue (an idea Stan would put to rest a few issues in the future). In fact, it was such a good idea that it would surface several more times during the Lee & Kirby run on the title during the 1960s.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p3qZOenhfxc/XNLkTDmosCI/AAAAAAAAE3w/-sCvenHA6wAqrecGTKhrG1EFxyqKTVAfACLcBGAs/s1600/ff004_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="1600" height="187" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p3qZOenhfxc/XNLkTDmosCI/AAAAAAAAE3w/-sCvenHA6wAqrecGTKhrG1EFxyqKTVAfACLcBGAs/s400/ff004_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Despite being attracted to Prince Namor, it's Sue once again who saves the day by sneaking up on him and disarming him ... both literally and metaphorically. So taken aback is The Sub-Mariner that he proposes marriage to Sue right there and then. Even by the comic book standards of the day, that seems hasty.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But first, Sue had to be held hostage by Doctor Doom. Yes, in the fifth issue of <i>Fantastic Four</i> (Sep 1962), Sue finally met the fate of her contemporary counterparts. She was held hostage by a villain to force her teammates' to do as they're told. Up to this point it seemed that Stan and Jack were deliberately trying to avoid the trope ...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IHmxNok5BrQ/XNLul0dBr8I/AAAAAAAAE38/R7VtK9ZdHyMy_yXtahI3Kz6e_erESpQJwCLcBGAs/s1600/ff005_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IHmxNok5BrQ/XNLul0dBr8I/AAAAAAAAE38/R7VtK9ZdHyMy_yXtahI3Kz6e_erESpQJwCLcBGAs/s400/ff005_montage.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Though Sue has played important parts in each of the Fantastic Four's adventures so far, this is the first time she's actually rescued them from certain death. This is definitely at odds with how female characters acted in other comics of the period, and though it may seem quaint now, at the time, Stan was taking quite a gamble.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">... the surprise twist comes when the tables are turned and Doom's hostage turns out to be the one who saves Reed, Johnny and Ben from the villain's deadly airtight trap. This was an uncommon occurrence during the early 1960s. Seldom did the women in comics play pivotal roles in the comics adventures, usually restricting their involvement to falling out windows to be saved by Superman and suchlike. Even more rarely did they save anyone.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QoxBBOPVjLQ/XNL-qytvVxI/AAAAAAAAE4I/QclXxc0CRp02BAMELhA1DV6MxHzfqo8BQCLcBGAs/s1600/ff006_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1600" height="142" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QoxBBOPVjLQ/XNL-qytvVxI/AAAAAAAAE4I/QclXxc0CRp02BAMELhA1DV6MxHzfqo8BQCLcBGAs/s400/ff006_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>First Doctor Doom questions Namor's commitment when he sees a portrait of Sue Storm beside The Sub-Mariner's throne, then later in the same issue, Johnny discovers a picture of Prince Namor hidden behind The Invisible Girl's bookshelf. It was actually quite a sinister idea - a bit like Lois Lane being attracted to Lex Luthor.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But before any of us could give that too much thought, the sixth issue of Fantastic Four brought back both Doctor Doom and The Sub-Mariner - and with that the spectre of the fatal attraction between Sue Storm and Namor raised its head again. Though at one point Sue has to protect Namor from her angry and hostile teammates, it turns out that The Sub-Mariner really has switched sides and saves the FF from Doctor Doom's deadly space trap. The finale of the tale has Sue make an impassioned speech about The Sub-Mariner ..."He isn't our enemy, I just know it," she tells Ben Grimm. "He's so full of pain and bitterness, that it blinds his better instincts. Sub-Mariner needs time ... time to heal."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even grumpy Ben grudgingly wonders whether Namor is really their enemy. "I still don't if I'd shake his hand or try to smash him."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUYuvPZx8Lg/XNa6b9qua-I/AAAAAAAAE4U/fXBUlpfq_lI2t9za8hb_sS7ejIXkn-5ywCLcBGAs/s1600/ff007_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="968" height="314" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUYuvPZx8Lg/XNa6b9qua-I/AAAAAAAAE4U/fXBUlpfq_lI2t9za8hb_sS7ejIXkn-5ywCLcBGAs/s320/ff007_montage.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I don't think Stan and Jack do a thing to advance the cause of women in this scene from </i>Fantastic Four 7<i>. We've been led to believe that Sue Storm is a confident debutante type, so this minor panic attack seems out of character. I'll put it down to Stan still trying to find the right tone of voice at this point.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantastic Four 7</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (Oct 1962), Sue's role is limited to expressing anxiety about have to attend a state dinner in the FF's honour in Washington. But it's not just Sue who seems to have wandered off the reservation. The whole story is pretty anomalous, even within the confines of the crude early FF tales.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M8-wZG5I1Yo/XNsE8TWUcII/AAAAAAAAE50/dcxsrB3tlR0ReUnZEtC5HnkaijB-ueu1gCLcBGAs/s1600/ff007_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1200" height="288" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M8-wZG5I1Yo/XNsE8TWUcII/AAAAAAAAE50/dcxsrB3tlR0ReUnZEtC5HnkaijB-ueu1gCLcBGAs/s400/ff007_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Pretty much the entire plot of </i>Fantastic Four 7<i> is recapped on page 19 of the story - so we have alien race in need of a smart Earth scientist (</i>This Island Earth<i>), aliens sending giant robot to Earth (</i>The Day the Earth Stood Still<i>) and a runaway planet threatening to destroy an inhabited world </i>(When Worlds Collide<i>). It's like a catalogue of 1950s sci-fi movies ...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The plot seems to be lifted from </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">This Island Earth</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (1956) - alien race on the verge of extinction looks to Earth scientist to save them. It has more in common with the pre-hero MC fantasy tales in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Journey into Mystery</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazing Adventures</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, than it does with superhero stories. In essence, the Fantastic Four are unnecessary for this issue's plot. It would have worked fine if Reed Richards had handled the whole thing and left the other three at home. Which is why I think it's probably the least of the early FF issues.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IIfuMRwJALE/XNfM7C0GYNI/AAAAAAAAE4s/zX6WQDf5TgY72aEaix87EhcaduU--EiQgCLcBGAs/s1600/ff008_11-62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IIfuMRwJALE/XNfM7C0GYNI/AAAAAAAAE4s/zX6WQDf5TgY72aEaix87EhcaduU--EiQgCLcBGAs/s400/ff008_11-62.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The first seven issues of </i>Fantastic Four<i> had been a little directionless, due to Stan's leaving Jack to do most of the plotting. With </i>FF 8<i>, my view is that Stan asserted a bit more control over the story, resulting in a change in tone which Kirby may or may not have been on board with.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By contrast, <i>Fantastic Four 8</i> (Nov 1962) was, by my reckoning, a deliberate change of pace. All at the same time, Stan marked the first year anniversary of the title, resolving the slightly odd Reed-Ben-Sue triangle by introducing a new love interest, who resembles Sue, for Ben Grimm. We also get a a new villain (albeit, one of the weirdest in Marvel's history), we see Reed's first attempt to cure The Thing, and the team start calling The Thing "Ben" for the first time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've noted before that it seemed a bit cruel and insensitive to me that the other FF members frequently refer to each other by their names during the first few issues of the series, while they constantly emphasise Ben's monstrous appearance by calling him "Thing" over and over again. By this time, Stan would have realised that The Thing was the team's most popular member and was taking steps to soften the character's initial angry persona.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are some other strange and unexplained aspects to this issue, which I think were due to Jack Kirby trying to continue in the same direction as the first seven issues and Stan Lee trying to turn the course of the title to bring it into line with his evolving vision for what he wanted (the as-yet unnamed) Marvel Comics to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The things I find strange in <i>Fantastic Four 8</i> are:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Puppet Master looks like a ventriloquist's doll. Did Jack have the notion to make him non-human? An alien? A Pinocchio-type living mannequin? Stan's scripting studiously ignores his freakish appearance.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whether he's human or not, how come he has a step-daughter? Who would marry someone who looks like that? Or did Kirby intend that Alicia was in fact also non-human, perhaps another creation of The Puppet Master?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why does The Puppet Master need to have Alicia impersonate Sue? Couldn't he just send a controlled Sue back to the FF with the controlled Ben Grimm?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On page 8 below, Stan has Puppet Master saying, "Fashioning a uniform like hers and a blonde wig for you are child's play for the Puppet Master." Yet, Kirby's art shows the Puppet Master wielding a pair of scissors to cut Alicia's dyed hair into Sue's shorter bob.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though Ben's been pretty angry and bitter the last seven issues, Alicia senses that, "His face feels strong and powerful ... and yet, I can sense a gentleness to him. There is something tragic, something sensitive." And when The Thing reverts to Ben Grimm, the first thing he says to the Torch is, "Johnny! Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you! Say something, Kid!"</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0-tb_w_pj9o/XNa9VV3zQKI/AAAAAAAAE4g/kLM4W-FGsKg9YQwfzXkMpSYM98T2xsB4gCLcBGAs/s1600/ff008_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0-tb_w_pj9o/XNa9VV3zQKI/AAAAAAAAE4g/kLM4W-FGsKg9YQwfzXkMpSYM98T2xsB4gCLcBGAs/s400/ff008_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>A couple of things don't make a great deal of sense in these pages - having Alicia impersonate Sue is one. Stan tries to write around it by having Alicia respond to Puppet Master's order to go with The Thing on Page 9 with, "This is all so strange, I don't understand it." And on page 13, if Alicia's wearing a wig, why doesn't Ben take it off her instead of having her cuddle him as Sue. Bit creepy, eh?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a synopsis of this issue published online. Most sources agree that it's written by Stan. Why would Stan write a synopsis for this but not other FF issues? I think it's an indicator that he was trying to change the direction of the book and was giving Kirby written instructions to ensure there would be no misunderstandings. That said, there's definitely still some evidence of the two creators pulling in slightly different directions.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYf78DJPeG0/XNujduDsyfI/AAAAAAAAE6A/EA3cLioLERoA3_cXpkGlMiN-XjqQvoL9wCLcBGAs/s1600/ff008-synopsis_remake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="800" height="280" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYf78DJPeG0/XNujduDsyfI/AAAAAAAAE6A/EA3cLioLERoA3_cXpkGlMiN-XjqQvoL9wCLcBGAs/s320/ff008-synopsis_remake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>This is the synopsis (discovered after the fact) for Fantastic Four 8. As with the </i>FF1<i> outline, the authenticity of this has been questioned. However, the counter argument is that Stan intended to assert more control with this issue and typed up the synopsis - possibly after a story conference with Kirby - to ensure the plot stayed on track. (I've retyped this to make it more legible.)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But overall, Sue plays a pretty pivotal role in this story and the contrast in character between the two women who look the same is actually quite striking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stan continues in this vein with the very next issue, bringing Sue into the limelight and making Sub-Mariner's fascination with her the driving force behind the plot.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CDMfYlhEr_g/XNlSmbi7FqI/AAAAAAAAE44/asvS_Hn5VbAePQg88bh_xFGAMlnHDK4qwCLcBGAs/s1600/ff009_montage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1500" height="196" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CDMfYlhEr_g/XNlSmbi7FqI/AAAAAAAAE44/asvS_Hn5VbAePQg88bh_xFGAMlnHDK4qwCLcBGAs/s400/ff009_montage01.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>In this issue of </i>Fantastic Four<i>, I find Namor a bit creepy and stalker-y. Why does he have a picture of Sue by his throne? What was Sue thinking of, going out to dinner with Namor unchaperoned. And why does Namor think defeating Sue's fiance, brother and her fiance's best friend will make her love him?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Fantastic Four 9 </i>(Dec 1962) opens with a scene of Prince Namor brooding in his undersea throne room. Tellingly, there's a framed picture of Sue on his occasional table. Lucky for The Sub-Mariner, Reed Richards has made some poor investment decisions and the FF are on the brink of bankruptcy. In an elaborate scheme, Namor anonymously offers the FF a movie contract worth a million dollars and lures them to Hollywood.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aLf-0B14hEw/XNlVCI5AfHI/AAAAAAAAE5E/Hz0rkFEXlmU6maHJOGTbDfhPsHPP0uTKwCLcBGAs/s1600/ff009_montage02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aLf-0B14hEw/XNlVCI5AfHI/AAAAAAAAE5E/Hz0rkFEXlmU6maHJOGTbDfhPsHPP0uTKwCLcBGAs/s400/ff009_montage02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Interestingly, Sue seems to be able to fight Namor to a standstill where the other members of the team were defeated. Even though Reed, Johnny and Ben show up to help, it doesn't really look like Sue needs much assistance.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One by one, he defeats the FF till only Sue is left standing and he reveals his sinister purpose to her. He wants to marry her! Yet while she calls Namor a fool for hatching such a daft plan, she does prevent the rest of the FF from handing him his ears.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To be fair, it isn't all one way. Sue also feels an attraction to Namor and this would be mentioned briefly in <i>Fantastic Four 10</i> (Jan 1963).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1swOA8j2c98/XNlh-0oaVEI/AAAAAAAAE5Q/EpHctDnkrYApyZgPp-znvhuit0BK1eV4wCLcBGAs/s1600/ff010_pg04-19_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="959" height="308" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1swOA8j2c98/XNlh-0oaVEI/AAAAAAAAE5Q/EpHctDnkrYApyZgPp-znvhuit0BK1eV4wCLcBGAs/s400/ff010_pg04-19_montage.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For me, the whole "Sue is attracted to Namor" sub-plot didn't really work. It always seemed to me as though Stan felt he needed some kind of love triangle. And after figuring out that a Reed-Sue-Ben triangle was a bit weird, he tried the same idea with The Sub-Mariner. I don't think that worked, either.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other than that, Sue wasn't given a great deal to do in <i>FF 10</i>. In fact, I'd have thought when the plot hinges on Doctor Doom inhabiting Reed's body to destroy the FF, the one person who <i>should</i> have picked up on the deception was Sue. Yet Stan and Jack write it so that Alicia uncovers the impersonation.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wkQrGXzteGk/XNlnLkPzLII/AAAAAAAAE5c/mSo9AuHPmII9sssEZBP5yMIM8Fy-d3RjwCLcBGAs/s1600/ff010-11_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1200" height="292" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wkQrGXzteGk/XNlnLkPzLII/AAAAAAAAE5c/mSo9AuHPmII9sssEZBP5yMIM8Fy-d3RjwCLcBGAs/s400/ff010-11_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Though both issues show signs of Stan still trying to find the perfect tone for "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine", </i>FF11<i> probably shows the most progress, both with the story development and with Sue's character.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The issue of Sue and Namor would come up again in <i>Fantastic Four 11</i> (Feb 1963). It's an odd issue because the actual adventure is relegated to a back-up strip, "The Impossible Man", while the first 11 pages are taken up with a sort of documentary, "A Visit with the Fantastic Four".</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-523oHuV53sg/XNlwIphVBnI/AAAAAAAAE5o/7TiEhP-0z0wabLoGLkxGUJeE79I087izgCLcBGAs/s1600/ff011_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-523oHuV53sg/XNlwIphVBnI/AAAAAAAAE5o/7TiEhP-0z0wabLoGLkxGUJeE79I087izgCLcBGAs/s400/ff011_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The last three pages of "A Visit with the Fantastic Four" are pretty much entirely devoted to Sue Storm. Even if some of the readers thought she was a fifth wheel, Stan obviously didn't and takes a strong position in Sue's defence.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a kid, I loved this docu-story. It was the 1963 equivalent of DVD extras, a look behind the scenes at The Fantastic Four as people instead of just superheroes. I think it's a pretty brave experiment by Stan and an interesting way for latecomers to the series (and there would be many, as sales were on a steep upward curve at this point) to be brought up to speed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the point where Stan takes a conscious decision to soften Ben's character. Reed does call him Thing on page 2 - presumably to tell new readers Ben's superhero name - but after that, the entire team calls him "Ben".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Especially intriguing is the way in which Ben Grimm responds to a fan letter that suggests Sue Storm is just so much dead-weight. The scene indicates to me that Stan is trying - even if he's not always succeeding - to make Sue more than the standard damsel-in-distress we were familiar with from all the other comics. He uses Reed's and Ben's voices to robustly defend the inclusion of Sue in the band. It's a clear indication of how women were perceived during the early 1960s and of how Stan is reacting to that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The evolution of Sue Storm would continue over the next year or so, culminating in <i>Fantastic Four 22</i> (Jan 1964), where Sue's powers are expanded to make her - arguably - the most powerful member of the group. However, I'll cover that in more depth next time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Next: Hear me roar ...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419605150672201683.post-19687471421987596792019-03-31T13:58:00.000-07:002019-05-09T23:35:08.947-07:00Bullpen Bulletins: Stan Gets Political<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>BACK IN THE MID 1960s, </b>just as I was in the process of becoming the Marvel Fanboy I remain to this day, we didn't have comics websites, or YouTube videos or even mimeographed comics fanzines to tell us what was going on. All we had was Stan Lee's ingenious "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins", giving us glimpses inside the Marvel offices and snippets of information about what we could expect to see this and next month from Marvel.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The very first published Marvel Bullpen Bulletins page, from </i>Journey into Mystery 122<i> (Nov 1965). At the time, Stan was making announcements about various Marvel Comics in text boxes, often yellow, on the various letters pages. This would be replaced by the Bullpen page, but the earliest examples appeared to be a mix of the two.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Bullpen page made its debut in <i>Journey into Mystery 122</i> (Nov 1965), which was on sale on 2 Sep 1965. This was a week before the December issues of <i>Fantastic Four</i> and <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i>, often cited (wrongly) as carrying the first Bullpen Bulletins page.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As with the other Bullpen pages of this early period, the <i>Journey into Mystery</i> page was customised for the title, showing an image of Thor where the other pages displayed different characters. For example, the <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> Bullpen page in issue 31 gave us The Green Goblin. And, of course, it's a Thor tee-shirt in the merchandise section.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But more than that, the Thor Bullpen page appears to have been prepared so early that the corresponding letters page also carried a few announcements, boxed out in yellow, and not just about Thor. For example, they reveal that we can expect more Marvel merchandising in the wake of the tee-shirts and a "brand new gizmo that's sure to sweep the nation". I haven't managed to figure out what that is, yet. Stan also tells us that the last two Marvel bi-monthlies - <i>X-Men</i> and <i>Daredevil</i> - were moving up to monthly publication, and closes out the letters column with a lengthy teaser about the next issue of <i>Journey into Mystery</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile, in the adjacent Bullpen Bulletins, Stan reports that Joe Sinnott, whose inking work was last seen in <i>Fantastic Four 5</i> (Jul 1962), has rejoined Marvel, working on "Agent of Shield", inking <i>Fantastic Four</i> (from 45 on) and "doing as many other features as we can straddle him with". I think you may have meant "saddle", Stan ... straddle is something else entirely.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Despite the Bullpen Bulletins page promise, Joe Sinnott managed few Marvel art assignments before becoming enmeshed in his regular inking work on the company's flagship title </i>Fantastic Four.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As it turned out, Sinnott only contributed art to two issues of <i>Strange Tales</i>' Agent of SHIELD ... 139, where he provided finished art over Kirby's layouts, and 140, where he inked over Kirby layouts and Don Heck pencils. The other featured Sinnott was "straddled" with included just inks for the cover and interior art of <i>X-Men 13</i> (Sep 1965), before embarking on his long run inking <i>Fantastic Four</i> from 44 (Nov 1965) onwards. What the Bullpen Bulletin story doesn't tell you is that Sinnott continued to pencil and ink for his long-term assignment <i>Treasure Chest</i> until issue 496 (Jul 1972), ending an 11½ year association with the title.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The second item in this first Bulletin reveals that Adam Austin, penciller on the Sub-Mariner feature in <i>Tales to Astonish</i> is not the artist's real name. This came as a shock to me when I retrospectively read this piece of news, as I had been comparing "Austin's" work with Gene Colan's and deciding that I like Colan's better. Of course, I was 12 at the time with little perception of how an inker can improve (or not) a penciller's work, so I was likely comparing the Vince Colletta inked Adam Austin work in <i>Astonish</i> with the Jack Abel inking of Gene Colan in <i>Suspense</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gene Colan "took over" from Adam Austin with <i>Tales to Astonish 80</i> and <i>Tales of Suspense 78</i> (both Jun 1966).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Compared to </i>You Don't Say<i>, the gags in </i>Monsters to Laugh With/Unlimited<i> were a bit lame. Stan was simply recycling one of his old ideas from the 1950s, but this time under Martin Goodman's shilling.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fourth item plugs <i>You Don't Say</i> and <i>Monsters Unlimited</i>, both Stan Lee side-projects. I wasn't much interested at the time, but I did later pick up copies of both mags, probably during my early teens and, strangely, preferred <i>You Don't Say</i> to <i>Monsters Unlimited</i> (or <i>Monsters to Laugh With</i>, when I first read it). Both titles were a reworking of a Lee independent project during the 1950s, when he started up his own Madison Publishing company and put out two magazines of news and library photos with funny captions - <i>Blushing Blurbs</i> and <i>Golfers Anonymous</i>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The best reproduction of </i>Golfers Anonymous<i> I could find was from the Stan Lee biography, </i>Excelsior<i>. My apologies for the poor scan quality.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">According to Stan's biography, <i>Excelsior</i>, both titles sold out and made thousands of dollars for Lee, but as he was "not the shrewdest guy in town", by his own admission, he never reprinted to capitalise on further profits.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>During the 1950s, Kirby would regularly ink his own pencils as this Dec 1959 issue of </i>Young Romance <i>demonstrates. As Marvel's chief penciller during the 1960s, Kirby would seldom be afforded the luxury of inking his own work, as Stan wanted to stretch Kirby as far across the line as possible.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last item in the inaugural Bulletin page was the promise that Jack Kirby would ink some of his own pencils sometime. Of course, Kirby had very often inked his own pencils in the past, most notably during his late 1950s run at DC Comics, inking many fantasy shorts for <i>Tales of the Unexpected</i> and <i>My Greatest Adventure</i> and most of the Green Arrow adventures. Plus Kirby was also inking many of the romance stories he was still pencilling for Prize around this time. So hardly unprecedented. When Kirby became Stan Lee's go-to artist as the Marvel line of comics mushroomed, Kirby's time became to valuable to squander on inking. But to satisfy the Bulletin promise, Lee had Kirby ink the front cover art for <i>Fantasy Masterpieces 4</i> (Aug 1966). I can't find any other examples, though maybe someone knows different.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The second Marvel Bullpen Bulletin page addresses more vital issues affecting Marvel fans across the spectrum. We also get the Mighty Marvel Checklist - a very important resource for Marvel readers in those pre-fanzine days - as well as the chance to buy Marvel merchandise.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The second Bullpen page addressed a landmark - to me anyway - decision that Stan had taken a few months earlier. Under the sub-heading "We Goofed Again Department" Stan admitted that the change in name from Marvel Comics Group to Marvel Pop Art Productions had been a mistake. As Marvelites everywhere were quick to point out, they didn't like it. So, the company's name was reverting once more. There follows some news about Artist Musical Chairs as Don Heck and "Adam Austin" switch around, and a plug for <i>Marvel Collectors' Item Classics</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Far more interesting are the mini-items under "Didja Know? Department", which reveals the fact that Sol Brodsky is a "crackerjack penciller and inker" (no, I didn't know that at the time), that Flo Steinberg was winning popularity contest at colleges all over the country and that Martin Goodman was a top-ranked amateur golfer. Nope and nope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stan finishes off by telling us that every one of Marvel's titles are hitting the sales jackpot. This might just sound like bragging, but it's important to remember that - as I've mentioned many times here - Marvel's success was Stan's, not Martin Goodman's. For years Goodman had just been copying what other publishers put out. Stan somehow managed to convince Goodman to take a different approach in 1961 with <i>Fantastic Four</i> and the results paid off. Literally. So I am more than happy to allow Stan his "I told you so" moment. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Matters covered in the Bullpen page for February 1966 included and explanation of why the year's Marvel annuals contained reprints, the arrival of newcomer Roy Thomas at the bullpen and the fact that Joe Sinnott would be the permanent inker on </i>Fantastic Four.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not going to go through the Bulletin pages month-by-month, but I do just want to highlight something in the third Bullpen page which appeared in the February 1966 dated Marvel comics (<i>Fantastic Four 47</i>, containing this Bulletin, would have been on sale 11 Nov 1965).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the third item, titled "Strictly Personal", Stan addresses the question of his tongue-in-cheek credits in the comics, specifically why he always insults inkers Artie Simek and Sam Rosen with comedy credits. Stan stresses that these jibes are "strictly in fun" and goes on to say "we want to state here and now that we LOVE those two talented, hard-working, dependable letterers of ours". And I'm guessing that Sam and Artie always took that joshing just fine - after all, they lettered the gags into the comics themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But in the final piece on the page, Stan mentions that most of the artists work at home (dispelling the fantasy that they all sit together in one big office swapping practical jokes and ribald stories). The piece goes on to say that Jack Kirby "drops in, loaded down with a new mess of masterpieces, once a week. Poor Jack! He's so absent-minded that he usually goes home with someone else's hat, portfolio or train ticket. Stan wanted to put a label around his neck reading: 'If found, please return to the marry Marvel bullpen!' but he couldn't - Jack lost the label."</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>This is from </i>Amazing Spider-Man 22<i> (Mar 1965), typical of the sort of joshing Stan regularly subjected Artie Simek and Sam Rosen to, the above gag would actually have been lettered by Artie. I'm sure Artie found it as funny as the readers did.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now even as a kid, I took that to be just a bit of good-natured messing around. It's certainly no more insulting that a lettering credit that reads, "We'll try to pin the blame on poor innocent Artie Simek". Yet, for some reason, Jack wasn't taking this sort of heckling very well. Just a few weeks later, on 9 January 1966, the <a href="https://marvelsilverage.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-hulk-on-tv.html">notorious profile in the New York Herald</a> by Ned Freeland that made out Jack to resemble "an assistant foreman in a girdle factory" came out and Jack took if very much to heart and blamed Stan for the whole thing. This indicates, to me at least, that - for whatever reason - Jack didn't have much patience with Stan's informal tone, even at this early stage.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Also mentioned in this fourth Bullpen page is the real reason Stan took the A-listers out of </i>Avengers<i>, a mild rebuke to the Marvel copycats out there and a plug for the new reprint title Fantasy Masterpieces.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet despite that, amidst all the subsequent talk about Kirby and his colleague being robbed of their credit for the contributions they made to the formative Marvel Comics the fourth Bullpen Bulletin page gives lie to that assertion. Right there in black and white, is Stan telling us that the artists make up most of the stories themselves. "All Stan has to do with pro's [sic] like Jack 'King' Kirby, dazzlin' Don Heck and darlin' Dick Ayers is give them a germ of an idea and they make up all the details as they go along, drawing and plotting out the story." It's not like it was a dark Marvel secret, or anything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Bullpen Bulletin page would continue in this format for the next year or so. Highlights would be Stan revealing the true identity of Adam Austin in the June 1966 page, announcing the departure of Steve Ditko in the July 1966 titles and telling us that though the Bullpen page is typed on 14th July it won't be published until October 1967.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Amid the plugs for the Marvel Annuals and the mention of the MMMS newsletter "The Merry Marvel Messenger", was a new feature. Titled "Stan's Soapbox" - a reference to the wooden crate favoured by street-corner orators around that time - this first editorial column explained the "Marvel philosophy".</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, in the June 1967 titles, the Bullpen page welcomed an important format change. The first Stan's Soapbox appeared. In it, Stan claimed that the "message" behind Marvel's stories was nothing more than an attempt to entertain. "And If we can do our bit to advance the cause of intellectualism, humanitarianism, and mutual understanding ... and toss in a little swingin' satire at to in the process ... that won't break our collective heart one tiny bit!"</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CKaz9ViU2HA/XKDbLtmMMkI/AAAAAAAAE1M/LmJf407rNLY6mgWbid7yc4h91gEeLMrcACLcBGAs/s1600/ff067_10-67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CKaz9ViU2HA/XKDbLtmMMkI/AAAAAAAAE1M/LmJf407rNLY6mgWbid7yc4h91gEeLMrcACLcBGAs/s400/ff067_10-67.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>In the Soapbox for the October 1967 Bullpen page, Stan tries to avoid the calls for a more defined political stance by throwing the matter open to reader opinion. Should Marvel comment on current affairs or not? Other items include a plug for the Fantastic Four cartoon show on ABC-TV, a plug for the Marvel Annuals and Marvel's new humour title </i>Not Brand Echh.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There wouldn't be effort, at least for a few months, for Stan to move his Soapbox editorials beyond thanking Marvel fans for their support and debating wither Marvel should continue mocking the mags published by "Brand Echh". But then, in the October 1967 Bullpen page, Stan addressed head-on the calls for Marvel to make more of a stance on political issues of the day. "Many Keepers of the Faith," Stan wrote, "have demanded that we take a more definitive stand on current problems such as Viet Nam, civil rights and the increase in crime, to name a few." It's then left to readers to decide on whether Marvel should promote their opinions on these matters. "Should we editorialize more - or less - of keep things in their present fouled up form?"</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Bullpen page for October 1968 gave us Stan first stab at a political editorial. It's a bit vague but you can see he's trying to put across his mildly liberal viewpoint without making it political. Other items announce Arnold Drake joining the Bullpen and a plea for pen-pals for serving soldiers in Viet Nam. By this time, the Marvel Checklist is now talking up almost half the page!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stan wouldn't return to the subject until October 1968, more than a year later. In his Soapbox, Stan writes, "Over the years we've received about a zillion letters asking for the Bullpen's opinion about such diverse subjects as Viet Nam, civil rights, the war on poverty, and the upcoming election". He goes on to say that there isn't one unanimous Bullpen opinion, but "we'd like to go on record about one vital issue - we believe Man has a divine destiny, and an awesome responsibility - the responsibility of treating all who share this wondrous world of ours with tolerance and respect - judging each fellow human on his own merit, regardless of race, creed or colour. That we agree on - and we'll never rest until it becomes a fact, rather than just a cherished dream."</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>... then this Stan's Soapbox, just a month later.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that's not the end of it. The very next Soapbox reversed the position completely. "That sinks it," commented Stan. "From now on, whenever we have something to get off our chest, we'll assume we have a magniloquent mandate to sock it to ya, and let the chips fall where they may."</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Preachy, perhaps, but this editorial from Stan was very much a product of its times, especially American times. And certainly no other comics publisher was printing opinions like this during the late 1960s.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From there on, there was no stopping Stan, as the above Soapbox shows. It had never really occurred to me at this point (I would have been 14 at the time) that bigotry was <i>a thing</i>. At the time I was surrounded by casual racism. My family, my schoolmates. And like everyone else, I'd laugh at racist stereotype jokes. But I'd never have dreamed of actually <i>hating</i> someone because of their race or religion. That Soapbox would crystalise the concept for me and probably played a key part in focussing the liberal - and, I hope, tolerant - views I hold to this day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More importantly, this tone would attract other like-minded comics professionals to Marvel ... Denny O'Neill had already joined Marvel a couple of years earlier. And in the future would come writers like Tony Isabella, Chris Claremont and later Larry Hama, who would also do their bit to instil Stan's liberal values into the stories they wrote.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And now, with the global reach of Marvel Production movies, we're seeing Stan's message reach an unprecedented audience - literally of millions - around the world.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Comicsgate is a tragic collection of comics "fans" who have singled out women, left-leaning liberals and people of colour in the professional comic community for attack, presumably because they simply don't like women and people of colour. It's a far cry from what Stan Lee wanted for the future of society, isn't it?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/41132-comicsgate-explained-bigots-milkshake-marvel-dc-gamergate">comicsgaters can have their sad rants</a> about the recent Captain Marvel movie and the fact that some Marvel characters have been re-imagined as women or ethnic minorities, but I'm glad to say, they will be on the losing side of that argument and on the wrong side of history. Certainly as far as those of us who have grown up with Stan Lee as our guide are concerned ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Next: Marvel's Women</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>AirPiratePresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13136561512898563240noreply@blogger.com4