Happy 4th of July- Marvel Style!

I thought I'd celebrate our nation's independence by celebrating the Silver-Age debut of comicdom's greatest patriot- Captain America!

So, Happy 4th of July and SUCK IT, GEORGE III ! No Taxation without representation, BEE -YOTCH!!



Right off the bat, let me apologize. I had this post in mind for some time, thinking I had a reprint of Avengers#4. Turns out, the book I have that reprints it reprints a 6-page, abridged version of it. Near as I can tell, it mostly leaves out a big, Kirby fight.

In issue #4, The Avengers acquire a new member. A guy with all the charisma and leadership any superteam could ever ask for; Captain America.

This issue begins by reminding us of a big fight between the Avengers and the Sub-Mariner that took place last issue. We rejoin the Sub-Mariner on yet another rampage. After brooding about how much he hates the Human race, he decides to stop and hassle some Eskimos. These Eskimos are minding their own business, worshiping their idol; a dude frozen in a block of ice. Silly Eskimos.

Because he's just that big a jerk, Subby takes their idol and throws it into the ocean, where it just happens to drift into the Gulf Stream. The lump of ice slowly thaws out in the warm, Gulf Stream waters and reveals the floating body inside just as it happens to pass by a submarine (with the biggest interior any sub never had) filled with-you guessed it- The Avengers.

The Avengers marvel over the frozen corpse they've found and ponder his strange costume. Just then, the body springs to life and reveals himself to be Captain America.

When the Avengers question his authenticity, Cap challenges them to a fight. It's ALWAYS a fight with these people!

The Earth's Mightiest Heroes then get their asses handed to them by a guy who's been frozen for 20 years. You would think he'd have frostbite and muscular atrophy, at least.

Cap then recounts the strange tale of how he came to be there:

In 1945, while trying to defuse a flying bomb that is aimed at the U.S., Cap and his kid sidekick, Bucky are carried out over the North Atlantic Ocean. Something goes horribly wrong and the bomb explodes early, killing Bucky outright and throwing Captain America into the icy waters below. Cap is flash-frozen and slips into a state of suspended animation. He remembers nothing else, but, for some reason conjectures that he must have become frozen in a block of ice and then been found and worshiped by some Eskimos as a supernatural object...

Sure. Why not?

The Avengers dock their sub in New York Harbor and are greeted by a mob of reporters. Two seconds later, a bright flash occurs and the heroes are turned to stone. The ever-vigilant representatives of the Fourth Estate decide it must be some trick the Avengers used to dodge an interview.

Captain America emerges and puzzles over the odd poses of the "statues" of the Avengers, and then goes sight-seeing. At some point he checks into a hotel. I have no idea what he used for money. Cap does what any guy who just woke up in 1964 New York would do; he watches hotel TV.

His vegging out is interrupted by Rick Jones, who Cap mistakes for Bucky. Apparently Rick is a dead ringer for the late, lamented sidekick. I had just assumed that he looked similar because he was another Kirby drawing. To me, Rick always looked more like Snapper Car. Anyway, Rick has come to find Cap because the Avengers are missing.

The good Captain snaps out of his Rip Van Winkle funk and becomes a decisive man of action. Looking at photos taken at the dock that morning, Cap spots a guy with a device he's absolutely sure isn't a camera. Seems to me, since in Cap's mind people should be riding in flying cars by 1964, he would defer to Rick on that.

Cap is right, however, the "camera" is a ray gun in the possession of a stranded alien who was hired by the Sub-Mariner (Cap comments that he seems "to remember that name from the dim past"- "the dim past"? You mean the day before yesterday, when you and Subby were on the same side in WWII?) to turn the Avengers to stone. In exchange, The Sub-Mariner was to help the alien free his sunken ship from the ocean floor.

The alien explains that he has been stranded for thousands of years and gives hints that his frightening appearance and ability to petrify may have inspired the legend of Medusa. Oh! Good, I needed someone to rationalize Medusa for me.. now, where did we leave Thor??

Cap and Rick get the spaceman to revive the Avengers who help free his spacecraft and send him home. There are references to a big battle, but my copy skips all of that. *sigh*

For some reason, Captain America seems to act like he's really old. I mean, if you'd been frozen in a block of ice when you were 20 for two decades and suddenly revived with no memory of time passing, wouldn't you still be, like 20? Geez! at the most he's in his early 40's.

Sure, his slang and his world view would be different. But instead of acting all morose and grandpa-ish, wouldn't he be more likely to attack the staff at Benihana and make them pay for Pearl Harbor? Wouldn't he go to record stores looking for 78's of Glen Miller? Also, I don't remember anyone issuing you a discharge, Captain. Shouldn't you report for duty or something?

Hypnosis. It Doesn't Work That Way!- Rawhide Kid #30

Anyone who's ever read any of Marvel's Silver Age comics series for any length of time knows that Stan Lee LOVES a good hypnotist. And Le's hypnotists are capable of convincing people to do ANYTHING! See for yourself:




Okay, I understand how he hypnotized the bartender into the free drink, but how did he accomplish finding a decent bottle of wine in an Old West saloon? Spade Desmond's antics attract the attention of the saloon owner, who he makes act like a monkey. The saloon owner is popular enough that a fight breaks out. Since everyone is packin', the outcome is not too surprising:


The Rawhide Kid is not one to stand idly by while people are endangering each other with reckless gunplay, so he logically stops them with some reckless gunplay:
Which draws the attention of the Hypnotist.

Spade Desmond sees the potential of having his own, personal gunfighter in his pocket,

And soon, he's making good use of his new toy:


Desmond takes things too far, however, when he orders the Kid to shoot the local Sheriff:


The Sheriff explains the Kid's sudden change of heart:


Maybe someone should explain to Stan Lee that "you can't make a man do something that he would never do normally!". Didn't we just see a cheap bartender give away a drink and a saloon owner act like a monkey? Is the Kid really a bank robber at heart?

I'm so confused. I can suspend my disbelief enough to pretend you can hypnotize people to do crazy stuff, but then to turn around in the next-to-last panel and tell me it's impossible?? What the Hell did I just read?

This Doctor Still Makes House Calls!-Strange Tales #120

"Not often does Doctor Strange walk the city streets!"- Yeah, I wouldn't leave the house in that outfit either! *rimshot*


The reason Doctor Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts has deemed to soil himself by condescending to walk amongst us lowly mortals is that, once again, our very existence is threatened by forces beyond our very comprehension. In other words, there's a haunted house and he wants to check it out.

Apparently, the house has enough of a reputation that a TV crew has come to send a reporter inside the house and report his findings live on television. Unfortunately, this being the early 1960's, TV cameras are huge and not at all easy to take with you. Which means that reporter Allen Stevens has to go inside the haunted house and describe what he sees via microphone. Maybe this would have been a better story for radio??

To make sure Stevens is safe, Dr. Strange assumes his ectoplasmic or "unphysical" form and attempts to enter the house. Surprisingly, he is unable to do so. Returning to his body, Strange falls back on his old standby, his magic amulet. Using it's all-seeing eye, Strange observes Stevens within the house. Stevens observes an old oil lamp floating in the air, and then sees something which shocks him so greatly he fears for his sanity.

Strange immediately pushes the crowd out of his way (magically, no less) and enters the house. He witnesses the same floating lamp, which does not scare him. Next, he is encircled in a thick, swirling mist, but Strange is unimpressed with such cheap theatrics:

The mists form themselves into a cage. Strange shouts a lot of mystical mumbo-jumbo and dispells them. The good Doctor talks a little smack to the house and the house replies indignantly in a disembodied (and, I have to assume, otherworldly) voice. Strange demands the release of the reporter or he will reveal the house's true secret. The house consents and then asks Strange to keep his bargain. Strange says he will keep the house's secret,as no-one would believe:


Um, yeah. So, is the house an extradimensional being appearing in the form of a house? Or is there some dimension populated with sentient houses? And if you wanted to observe us, is pretending to be haunted and hiding in the boonies the best way??

This all reminds me of a show from my childhood: The Six-Million Dollar Man. There's a famous story cycle where Col. Steve Austin goes looking for Big Foot. When he finds Big Foot, it turns out that the Sasquatch is really an android, built by an alien race. These aliens live in a hidden, underground complex and have built and sent Big Foot as a way to "observe humanity". First of all, the aliens look just like us. All they hadda do was go into town to observe humanity. Second, is the best way to "observe" humanity to build a 7-foot monster and set it loose in an area so remote no-one ever goes there?? I never got that.

My rendering of events as I recall them.


Any way, I love early Doctor Strange stories. And, yeah, I know I kinda panned Ditko a couple of weeks ago, but his work on this issue was really atmospheric and creepy.

For the rest of what went on in this issue, check out Pat's summary at Silver Age Comics.

Next Time, Call Ahead. Amazing Spider-Man #1

I realized that I have somehow neglected to cover a single Spider-Man story on this blog. Today, I rectify that.


The Amazing Spider-Man #1 gave readers a lot for their twelve cents. The issue starts with a brief recap of Spidey's origin as it appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 and establishes characters like bombastic publisher J. Jonah Jameson and his hero son, astronaut John Jameson. We learn of Aunt May's financial troubles for the first time and, before the issue's first story is over Spidey is branded as a criminal and a public menace. Unlike many of Marvel's other long-lasting features, the tone for the next 40+ years of Spider-Man stories is set at the very begining.



The back-up feature starts off even better, as it includes a guest appearance by Marvel's other early superstars, the Fantastic Four.

Peter Parker gets the bright idea to seek a job with the Fantastic Four. Unable to get past the FF's private elevator, Pete decided to climb to the FF's offices as Spidey. PEte has no idea he has already tripped the FF's security system, however. When the Cosmic Quartet come out swinging, Spidey uses the donnybrook as an ersatz audition.

After Mr. Fantastic settles everyone down, Spidey states the purpose of his visit and sugests that his talents are worth top dollar. Richards explains that the FF are a non-profit orginization who put all their extra earnings back into developing crime-fighting technology. Before anyone can offer to help, Spidey leaves in a teenage huff.

The rest of the story introduces Spidey's first supervillain, the Chameleon. *Yawn*

Even though Amazing Fantasy #15 sold remarkably well and Marvel receieved tons of letters asking for more Spider-Man, they were clearly nervous about giving Spidey his own book. The cover could have just as easily been for an issue of Fantastic Four. And, although Spidey doesn't end up joining the FF (saving the team lots of money, since they won't have to order new PJ's that have a "5" on the chest.) there is a wonderful chemistry between the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, almost as if the FF are the family Peter has been missing.

Lee and Kirby Did WAAY Too Many Monster Comics- Rawhide Kid#22

There was a time when Westerns were some of the most popular comics series around. Heck, there was a time when Westerns, War, Romance and Horror all outsold superhero comics. Problem is, how do you do an interesting Western when the Comics Code won't let you show anybody getting shot??

Well if you're The Lone Ranger, you shoot the guns out of the bad guys' hands and move on. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby found other solutions. One was they threw in a lot of what we would now recognize as supervillains; hypnotists and magicians and the like. The other was a natural for Marvel c. 1960: Monsters.

Marvel had been making it's bread with monster comics for some time. Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko were drawing comic after comic, month after month featuring big, ugly lumbering monsters, all of which needed to be stopped to save the world from total destruction.

So, this issue of Rawhide kid took the logical step of making the Kid face a monster. Which is great, 'cause he's allowed to SHOOT monsters.

Now I'm going to let Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers tell you the story, through the miracle of Splash pages:


Okay, here's our setup. Rawhide Kid vs a walking totem pole. Pretty much a retelling of the cover. Incidentally, totem poles are only found amongst the tribes of the Pacific Northwest and are not indigenous to the Southwest where this story takes place. I like how the face in the middle looks a little embarrassed.



Now here's a classy, old-Hollywood composition. The monster is only hinted at as a shadow, leaving you to experience the horror through the eyes of the onlooker. Nice.



Well, some stuff has clearly happened between chapters, since the lift is partly raised. Apparently being a living totem pole doesn't mean you are invulnerable to getting dirt thrown in your eyes. Who'd've thought?



Okay, now this one's my favorite! I especially love how the third guy from the left takes the time to shout "LUCKY WE GOT OUT OF THE COACH IN TIME AND HAD TIME TO UNHARNESS THE HORSES!" I know that's what I would say if I found myself suddenly fleeing for my life from a sentient, evil totem pole.



And finally. the last page, so you can all rest soundly, assured that everything came out okay.

See. You didn't even really have to read the comic. A whole story summed up in five pages.

Time Travel Week- " Look Upon My Furniture Casters Ye Mighty and Despair!! " Tales of Suspense #44

Tony Stark is many things: Inventor, Scientist, Wealthy Playboy, Humanitarian, Hero.... He is, however, neither an archaeologist nor a careful time-traveler.

It all starts with Tony taking a trip to Egypt to help out an archaeologist buddy. Well, wait, back up, it all actually starts on page two with Tony getting on the plane. And fielding questions from the press, who have apparently recently been to see the movie "Cleopatra" Starring Elizabeth Taylor. Or maybe that was Stan Lee. Anyway, instead of hard-hitting questions about Stark's business dealings or his involvement with the war in Vietnam, they ask things like this:



So, anyway, Stark goes to "Cleopatra-land" to help an archaeologist friend. Who apparently has managed to fund and launch a huge expedition without knowing where to dig. He's hoping Tony can help the team find the location of a hidden tomb. Tony recommends Iron Man for the job and then makes himself scarce while he "goes to look for him".

When Iron Man arrives at the site, he quickly uses a tiny fluoroscope to spot the hidden tomb (on the first try, no less) and then uses a drill attachment to tunnel a big, ugly hole in the side of an historically significant structure.


Iron Man and "Paul" the archaeologist quickly discover the mummy of King Hatap "The Mad Pharaoh" who was reputed to have been a master of black magic. Iron Man leaves the dig to Paul and switches back to Stark.

A short time later, Paul bursts into the main expedition tent to report that the mummy has been stolen. He leaves to organize a search party. It is then that Stark finds out he is being watched. Watched by none other than King Hatap!

Hatap reveals that he was never mummified. After a failed rebellion against Cleopatra, Hatap faked his own death with a powerful drug that put him into suspended animation. He was wrapped in linen and encased in a sarcophagus where he has remained for the last 2,500 years. He now plans to return to the past via a magic statue of a chariot that will let him travel through time and he plans to take Stark with him to aide him in his conquest.

When Stark and Hatap arrive in the past, the Romans are attacking Egypt. Stark slips away from Hatap and changes to Iron Man and fights off the Roman infantry who assume he's a god. Then, he mounts a tiny propeller on his foot and torpedoes a Roman galley.

Iron Man warns Cleopatra of the impending attack by Hatap. Cleo asks him to save her kingdom. Iron Man agrees and combats the approaching chariots of Hatap's forces with something unbeatable. Furniture casters.

Yes, that's right, Iron Man attaches furniture casters to his back and rolls across the sands of Egypt into the advancing army. Somehow, this defeats them.

Cleopatra falls for Iron Man, but he leaves for 1963, where he can find a life-sustaining electrical outlet.

On a final note: Hatap, you have a time-travel device. Why the @!#$ did you put yourself to sleep for 2,500 years? Why didn't you, say pop back to last week and tell yourself how you lost the upcoming battle?? Why are time machines always in the hands of the stupid?

Stop by tomorrow, when Superboy kills his parents. But don't worry, it's not his real parents, just Ma and Pa Kent!

Thank The Gods 'Tis Thor's Day! Journey Into Mystery #85

We are treated this issue to the first appearance of Asgard, home of the Norse gods.

Verily, 'tis a trippy place!


As well as the first appearance of Thor's rival, enemy and half-brother, Loki- the god of Mischief.

Loki has been imprisoned by the gods in a tree for ages, as punishment for some past misdeed. Loki blames Thor for his plight, and plots to free himself. The only catch is, Loki must remain within the tree until someone "sheds a tear for Loki". Loki knows no-one will weep for him intentionally, so he wills the tree to shed a leaf just as Heimdall, guardian of the rainbow bridge passes by. The leaf pokes Heimdall in the eye, causing his eye to weep and Loki is freed!

Loki then heads to Earth to seek his vengeance on Thor. There's a lot of trickery involved, including Loki hypnotizing Thor into giving his hammer to a duplicate of himself and a scene where Loki rides around on a bunch of pigeons. A person on the street who witnesses Loki's arrival on the backs of a flock of pigeons declares that it "must be an advertising stunt". What could anyone possibly be advertising with a dude in an operatic Viking superhero getup riding a flock of pigeons?

Loki causes all kinds of trouble, including making Thor save several citizens from being run over by a train. A train Loki pushed them in front of. (Kinda pedestrian for the trickster god of Norse myth) Thor finally catches back up to Loki and ties him to his hammer, which he flings back to Asgard, where Loki is once again imprisoned.

Jane Foster finds the whole clash of gods in downtown Manhattan to be "romantic", hinting that she is becoming more and more attracted to the dashing Thor. And subsequently less dazzled by her shy employer.


ACK! I forgot! For more issue-by-issue coverage of Silver Age Marvel- tune in to "Fantastic Four Fridays" over at one of my favorite blogs- Silver Age Comics.

Wait! Was Captain America Even Missing?

Captain America Veterans' Day Special, part two.

In 1964's Avengers #4, wherever Cap goes, people get all weepy to see him returned to them. Even though the Avengers didn't seem to recognize Captain America, the rest of the world seems to have never gotten over his loss. Which brings us to an interesting point. Was Cap ever actually missing??

See, the thing is, Captain America first appeared in comics in 1940, punching Hitler in the face! Which is pretty bold, considering we wouldn't enter WWII for another year.


That's for Poland and France!

The good Captain continued to be a big seller throughout the War, and then, after 1945 sales began to decline.

An attempt was made to bring back the comic in 1953 as "Captain America: Commie Smasher" but the book folded by 1954. Maybe the McCarthy Hearings made Cap seem more paranoid than timely?



So, when The Avengers find Cap in 1964, and he was MIA since 1945, somehow everyone overlooked the fact that Cap and Bucky were alive and well as late as 1954.

I'd like to wish a happy Veteran's Day to all our service-men and -women who HAVEN'T been frozen in a block of ice for the last 20 years! Your sacrifice is appreciated.

Being Frozen Makes You Kind Of A Downer- Avengers #4

Captain America Veterans' Day Special, part one.



Right off the bat, let me apologize. I had this post in mind for some time, thinking I had a reprint of Avengers#4. Turns out, the book I have that reprints it reprints a 6-page, abridged version of it. Near as I can tell, it mostly leaves out a big, Kirby fight.

In issue #4, The Avengers acquire a new member. A guy with all the charisma and leadership any superteam could ever ask for; Captain America.

This issue begins by reminding us of a big fight between the Avengers and the Sub-Mariner that took place last issue. We rejoin the Sub-Mariner on yet another rampage. After brooding about how much he hates the Human race, he decides to stop and hassle some Eskimos. These Eskimos are minding their own business, worshiping their idol; a dude frozen in a block of ice. Silly Eskimos.

Because he's just that big a jerk, Subby takes their idol and throws it into the ocean, where it just happens to drift into the Gulf Stream. The lump of ice slowly thaws out in the warm, Gulf Stream waters and reveals the floating body inside just as it happens to pass by a submarine (with the biggest interior any sub never had) filled with-you guessed it- The Avengers.

The Avengers marvel over the frozen corpse they've found and ponder his strange costume. Just then, the body springs to life and reveals himself to be Captain America.

When the Avengers question his authenticity, Cap challenges them to a fight. It's ALWAYS a fight with these people!

The Earth's Mightiest Heroes then get their asses handed to them by a guy who's been frozen for 20 years. You would think he'd have frostbite and muscular atrophy, at least.

Cap then recounts the strange tale of how he came to be there:

In 1945, while trying to defuse a flying bomb that is aimed at the U.S., Cap and his kid sidekick, Bucky are carried out over the North Atlantic Ocean. Something goes horribly wrong and the bomb explodes early, killing Bucky outright and throwing Captain America into the icy waters below. Cap is flash-frozen and slips into a state of suspended animation. He remembers nothing else, but, for some reason conjectures that he must have become frozen in a block of ice and then been found and worshiped by some Eskimos as a supernatural object...

Sure. Why not?

The Avengers dock their sub in New York Harbor and are greeted by a mob of reporters. Two seconds later, a bright flash occurs and the heroes are turned to stone. The ever-vigilant representatives of the Fourth Estate decide it must be some trick the Avengers used to dodge an interview.

Captain America emerges and puzzles over the odd poses of the "statues" of the Avengers, and then goes sight-seeing. At some point he checks into a hotel. I have no idea what he used for money. Cap does what any guy who just woke up in 1964 New York would do; he watches hotel TV.

His vegging out is interrupted by Rick Jones, who Cap mistakes for Bucky. Apparently Rick is a dead ringer for the late, lamented sidekick. I had just assumed that he looked similar because he was another Kirby drawing. To me, Rick always looked more like Snapper Car. Anyway, Rick has come to find Cap because the Avengers are missing.

The good Captain snaps out of his Rip Van Winkle funk and becomes a decisive man of action. Looking at photos taken at the dock that morning, Cap spots a guy with a device he's absolutely sure isn't a camera. Seems to me, since in Cap's mind people should be riding in flying cars by 1964, he would defer to Rick on that.

Cap is right, however, the "camera" is a ray gun in the possession of a stranded alien who was hired by the Sub-Mariner (Cap comments that he seems "to remember that name from the dim past"- "the dim past"? You mean the day before yesterday, when you and Subby were on the same side in WWII?) to turn the Avengers to stone. In exchange, The Sub-Mariner was to help the alien free his sunken ship from the ocean floor.

The alien explains that he has been stranded for thousands of years and gives hints that his frightening appearance and ability to petrify may have inspired the legend of Medusa. Oh! Good, I needed someone to rationalize Medusa for me.. now, where did we leave Thor??

Cap and Rick get the spaceman to revive the Avengers who help free his spacecraft and send him home. There are references to a big battle, but my copy skips all of that. *sigh*

For some reason, Captain America seems to act like he's really old. I mean, if you'd been frozen in a block of ice when you were 20 for two decades and suddenly revived with no memory of time passing, wouldn't you still be, like 20? Geez! at the most he's in his early 40's.

Sure, his slang and his world view would be different. But instead of acting all morose and grandpa-ish, wouldn't he be more likely to attack the staff at Benihana and make them pay for Pearl Harbor? Wouldn't he go to record stores looking for 78's of Glen Miller? Also, I don't remember anyone issuing you a discharge, Captain. Shouldn't you report for duty or something?

Thank The gods Tis Thor's Day!- Journey Into Mystery # 84

As promised, Thor returns. And so does "Lame Doctor Donald Blake"...to America.

We get to see what things are like for Dr. Blake when he's not vacationing in Northern Europe. Seems like he's a kindly, caring physician who still makes house calls. Also his nurse, Jane Foster (In this issue, she's referred to as Jane Nelson- maybe they lost the notes from this issue going forward?) is desperately in love with him. Or, she wants to be, but thinks he's coldly indifferent to her. Oh Jane ! How wrong you are!

See, Don Blake is madly in love with Jane, but he's afraid she would reject him because he's "a cripple". Yeah, Don, what girl could possibly look past that limp of yours to see the handsome, young doctor who can afford a private practice in Manhattan?

Showing that Thor is not the only hero in this comic, Dr. Blake volunteers to go to the war-torn Central American nation of San Diablo (Saint Devil?? Yeah, THAT's likely) to provide medical relief. Before Don and Jane can even arrive, however, their ship is attacked by Commie jet fighters who want to stop the "Yankee doctors" from providing aid and comfort to the Democratic forces. If you were having any doubts, yes, this WAS scripted by Larry Lieber.

Don transforms into Thor and smashes the Commie jets. He then changes to his "rightful self " of Don Blake under water -See? I told you two weeks ago he wasn't supposed to really be Thor!- and calls for help from the ship. After Don is rescued, Jane begins to think about how handsome that Thor guy was.

When the medical team from the U.S. finally arrives in San Diablo, they are once again targeted by the Communist forces of "The Executioner".

Note: this Executioner is just a beret-wearing Che Guevara look-alike, not the Asgardian of the same name from later Thor comics.

Commie guerrillas attack the medical convoy, only to be stopped by a violent thunderstorm summoned by Dr. Blake and his magic stick. Once the weather clears and the convoy resumes, the commies send in tanks.

Blake once again changes to Thor and smashes up the entire tank squad, only to learn that Jane Foster was captured in the melee. Jane is taken back to Commie headquarters where Comrade Executioner tries to put the moves on her. He is interrupted by news that his men have caught another Yankee- Dr. Don Blake. The Executioner takes Blake's stick and orders him shot as a spy, but Jane says she'll do anything if Blake is set free. The Executioner says he will let Blake go if Jane will marry him (if that's not a euphemism, I don't know what is).

Blake challenges the Executioner to a one-on-0ne fight, then tricks him into tossing away the magic cane, which Don catches and immediately transforms to Thor.

Thor mops the floor with the Commies and the Executioner is caught by his own men trying to make off with all their funds (in big, Scrooge McDuck-style bags with "$" on them!) and meets his fate at the hands of his own death squad. All the Commies have an immediate conversion to Democratic ideals and Don and Jane get to treat the sick and injured.

We close with Jane asking Don where he went when Thor showed up. Don tells her he hid behind the execution wall, planting the seed in Jane's mind that she wishes Don was more like Thor. Dames!

Thank The gods Tis Thor's Day!- Journey Into Mystery # 83

As the good folks at Marvel Comics began to crank out a line of superhero comics, one question was hanging at the backs of their minds: "How can you top Superman?" I mean, for any hero to be more powerful than Superman he'd have to be... well, a god.

Enter The Mighty Thor, Norse god of thunder, hero of legend, scion of Asgard, user of leave-in conditioner.

While on a walking tour of Norway, "lame Doctor Donald Blake" (I LOVE how they describe him like that. He has a severe limp and walks with a cane, but it always makes him sound like he's a sub-standard physician.) is witness to a terrifying invasion by Stone Men from Saturn.

Seeking shelter in a nearby cave, Dr. Blake finds himself trapped in a cave-in. After stumbling through the dark, looking for an alternate exit, Don finds an old, gnarled walking stick laying on a stone slab. Don tries to use the stick as a lever to pry away a large rock blocking a potential exit, and in his struggles bangs the stick against the stone. Suddenly, lightning crashes within the cave and frail Dr.Blake is transformed into Thor.


The stick, it seems was the mighty hammer of Thor, Mjolnir, in disguise. Inscribed on the head of the mystical hammer are the words "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of THOR".

Using his new-found super strength, Thor hefts the boulder out of the way of the exit and leaves the cave. Setting his hammer down, Thor discovers that, after sixty seconds away from the magic of the hammer, he reverts to Donald Blake. He soon discovers that the hammer returns to his hand when thrown, is indestructible and can control the weather.

Thor quickly routs the alien invaders and transforms back into Lame Doctor Donald Blake.


The Hammer turns back into a walking stick. The story ends with the promise of further Thor adventures to come.

For anyone familiar with this comic from its later incarnations, I would like to note a few points of interest. Firstly, it seems pretty obvious (to me, anyway) that at this stage of the comic, Doctor Don Blake is really Doctor Don Blake and he only summons the power of Thor. The Hammer Mjolnir sort of functions like an Aladdin's lamp. Secondly, that being said, Thor reminds me very much of Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, who was secretly young Billy Batson. Batson would say the magic word "Shazam!" and transform into the super hero Captain Marvel.

Next Thor's Day will be a Hallowe'en-related post, but after that, I will pick up with Journey Into Mystery #84.

Iron Man Makes His Debut - Tales of Suspense #89

When Iron Man first debuted in Tales of Suspense #89, two things about the story were remarkable. One, Iron Man looks like a guy made out of Iron. Two, it was topical. Tony Stark finds himself kidnapped in Vietnam, the prisoner of a band of "Red guerrillas". Doubtless, if DC had done a story like this in 1963, the protagonist would have been the prisoner of purple gorillas. Also, the technology behind Iron Man's amazing suit of armor is based in the real world. Sort of. Seems that Stan Lee and his brother, Larry Lieber, are very excited about that new technological breakthrough, the transistor.

From Wikipedia:

In electronics, a transistor is a semiconductor device commonly used to amplify or switch electronic signals. A transistor is made of a solid piece of a semiconductor material, with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current flowing through another pair of terminals. Because the controlled (output) power can be much more than the controlling (input) power, the transistor provides amplification of a signal.

The transistor is the fundamental building block of modern electronic devices, and is used in radio, telephone, computer and other electronic systems. The transistor is often cited as being one of the greatest achievements in the 20th century, and some consider it one of the most important technological breakthroughs in human history. Some transistors are packaged individually but most are found in integrated circuits.

In fact, they're so excited about transistors, that they mention them 12 times within the 12 pages of this story. Transistors were a revolutionary piece of technology at the time, replacing the much larger and more fragile vacuum tubes and making it possible for teenagers to irritate people at the beach with portable radios.

It should be noted, however, that attaching a transistor to a big horseshoe magnet will not make it fling peoples' rifles away.

The artwork by the much unappreciated Don Heck, is gorgeous.

Anyway, If you haven't already seen the movie, Tony Stark is a weapons manufacturer/inventor who goes to Vietnam to test out some new transistorized small arms he's developed for the U.S. Army. He's wounded and captured by Communist insurgents. The Commies want him to build them some weapons before he dies of the shrapnel he took in the chest.

With the aid of a captured scientist, Stark builds the Iron Man armor from scrap iron and transistors, including the chest piece which keeps the shrapnel from reaching his heart. Transforming himself into the cybernetic superhero Iron Man, Stark defeats the Reds and acquires a new mission in life.

What Kind of Pompous Ass Names himself "Mister Fantastic" Anyway?

One of the defining moments of the Silver Age would have to be the publication of Fantastic Four #1 from Marvel Comics. Marvel had been more or less out of the superhero business at the time, focusing primarily on monster comics. This fact is pretty obviously demonstrated by the big, subterranean creature on the cover battling the fledgling superteam and by one of the team's four member, The Thing.

Originally conceived as a way to cash in on the success of DC's new title Justice League of America, the FF soon took on a life of their own, becoming one of the most iconic and recognizable comics of the 1960's.

But back to the topic at hand. What kind of pompous ass names himself "Mister Fantastic"?

I mean, the other three members of the Cosmic Quartet have named themselves after their new-found super powers and characteristics. "The Human Torch" catches on fire, "The Invisible Girl"-you guessed it- turns invisible. "The Thing" is...well, a thing. But a straightforward moniker like "stretch" or "the human rubber band" isn't good enough for Dr. Reed Richards. His ego is so huge that only "Mister Fantastic" will do.

Which is kinda funny, in and of itself. You'd think he'd have gone for "DOCTOR Fantastic". I mean, he didn't go through twelve years of college to be called "Mister" anything. Heck Doctor Doom calls himself Doctor and he dropped out.

All I can guess is that the name is foreshadowing for what a jerk he's going to be to his future wife, Susan "Invisible Girl" Storm.

Marvel Monday- HULK JUGGLE!

My friend, Rob, and I once had a lengthy discussion in which we tried to comprehend the sheer surrealness of this particular panel from Avengers #1. We came to the conclusion that this panel must surely be the result of the "Marvel way" gone wrong.

For the uninitiated, the "Marvel way" was a new assembly-line method of making comics which persists to this day. It started because Stan Lee, who was editor and head writer over Marvel's then-fledgling superhero titles couldn't manage to write full scripts for each and every comic each and every month. Even farming out some of the scripting chores to his brother , Larry Lieber, wasn't enough (Larry's scripts tend to have strong, anti-commie sentiments which make them seem very dated). Stan decided that the best way to overcome this problem was Jack Kirby. Jack was an amazing workhorse who drew the bulk of Marvel's early comics. This is not to belittle the great artwork by other Marvel talents like Don Heck or Steve Ditko. Jack just drew more of them. Every month. Stan realized that he could write the first few pages of a story, and the last few pages and then hand it over to Jack, who would use his own judgement and experience to fill in the pages in between- usually with lots of eye-popping action. Stan would then go back over the finished pages, suggest any changes that were needed (time allowing) and then write dialog to match the comics. In many cases, the comics done this way seem to have dialog that's a bit... superfluous.

Anyway, Rob and I were baffled by this particular panel and came up with this scenario to explain it.

Stan: "Why is the Hulk at the circus?"
Jack: "I dunno"... *puffs cigar* I took my kids to the circus."
Stan: "I'll just have to make it work!"


The craziest part is NOT the Hulk hiding out at the circus. it's that the people who run the circus believe that the Hulk is a big, green robot who just happened to wander by, providing them with a star attraction. Look, I don't care if there are mutants and radioactive spiders under every rock in the Marvel universe, that JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN.