Harry Lime

Journey Into Mystery #116 May 1965 My Copy - Grade 3.5 Manufactured with one staple! Amazingly it's still holding on for dear life and the ugly T&P stamp is almost entirely faded. Cover: 2.5/5 ~ I like the overall composition of this cover. Feels like you're looking over Odin's shoulder at the goings-on. However Thor & Loki's unnaturally stiff poses kinda spoil it. Art: 3.5/5 ~ Doesn't start off well with the splash page being an even stiffer (and flatter) rendition of the cover but soon picks up once the 'trial' begins. We have very spikey plants, very hungry plants, ghostly Loki, Yagg the Invincible stealing a couple of panels. Some Earth based stuff with the Executioner & Enchantress, the rest of the Avengers, second appearance of Daredevil's red outfit in cameo. But best of all we saw Odin in the tub and then walking around being all omnipotent in his furry bath robe & slippers! Awesome!?! Story: 2.5/5 ~ Mainly set in the land of Skornheim (where even immortal gods can die) this story is basically a race between Thor & Loki to get back to Asgard and 'win' the trial. Whilst on Earth, Loki sends E&E to harass poor put-upon Jane Foster to distract Thor from winning. Odin sends Balder to stop this unsporting behaviour but as this seems to be a two-parter we don't really find out what happens on Earth but it does end on a cliffhanger as it appears Thor has lost the race and thus the trial. Oh, did I mention that we see Odin in the bath? That bit was freakin' awesome! Overall despite the story continuing on into the next issue this had all the feelings of a filler with only a light plot on show. I may be wrong, we'll see what #117 brings to the table. Quote of the Day "You trespass on our friendship, Balder! None may disturb Odin while he takes his imperial bath!" My assessment ~ Whilst I may be hesitating over some of the JIM's I don't think this is good enough to keep, despite Odin's dip. SOLD! Thanks for reading!

Bought just two books from Robert but the packaging and service was still exemplary. He also grades very tight and is a total pleasure to deal with. Will certainly be looking out for more books from him in the future.

Fantastic Four #38 May 1965 My Copy - Grade 2.0 Cover: 2.5/5 ~ It's certainly a weird cover with the evil FF in a flying eyeball. What the hell could be going on? And the blurb promises a lot although seeing as the evil FF sort of beat the good FF only two issues ago, I suppose we shouldn't be that astonished. Art: 3.5/5 ~ Wonderful splash page & a full page scene of the Wizard demonstrating his powers lift this above the average. Was this the first time Kirby did a full page drawing in the FF? Also some nifty stretching scenes and atoll fighting, ending with an atomic explosion. Certainly continuing the feast for the eyes started last ish. Story: 3.5/5 ~ Well, there's a surprise...Sue gets kidnapped! She's getting better at it though, managing to free herself this time although being trapped underground with a ticking Q-Bomb does kinda take the shine off. So this story is all about the return of the Frightful Four and the evil Wizard's plan and trap to destroy the FF once and for all. The Wizard is a true stinker, I think I hate him more than any of the FF's other adversaries so far but he is effective, he gets the job done. There's a cracking pace to this story and it seems to be over in a flash (pun intended) and there's a final panel that means we absolutely have to buy next month's issue. Quote of the Day ~ "This must be the trap they planned for us...the ultimate trap!! But we've got to escape it! We can't have found you only to lose you again...only to lose everything at the last fateful minute!" My assessment ~ A small upgrade would be both affordable and almost necessary as this issue marks the start of the FF's greatest run, imo. Thanks for reading!

Amazing Spider-Man #24 May 1965 My Copy - Grade 3.5 Cover: 4/5 ~ Only Ditko/Spidey can pull off this kind of senses reeling cover. Even as a child I loved weirdness in art and this would have had parting with my loose change ahead of anything else in May, '65. Art: 4/5 ~ There's hardly any action in this issue but it doesn't matter because Ditko packs another load of characterisation & emotion into every page, every panel. Petey's expression of terror on page 12 really lets us feel what torment he's going through. Story: 4.5/5 ~ As noted, there's not a lot of action to the story but it makes not a jot of difference. Spider-Man is close to a mental breakdown, orchestrated by 'Doctor Rinehart' (no spoilers) and his slide towards insanity is as compelling as any fight our web-slinger has been in. He comes very close to revealing his identity before he's stopped unintentionally & ironically by J. Jonah (who has also started a new series of editorials endorsed by the public as to the menace of Spider-Man). There's also time for the Flash/Liz/Betty/Peter, quadrangle? And more worrying from Aunt May over her favourite sickly nephew. A thoroughly entertaining and satisfying tale. Quote of the Day ~ "I've hated him for years! I've planned a million schemes to discredit him! ...To defeat him! ...To destroy him! And now, when you were about to do it for me, I ruined everything!" My assessment ~ A keeper unless I get lucky or alternatively, go mad with an upgrade! Thanks for reading!

Journey Into Mystery #115 April 1965 My Copy - Grade 6.5 Cover: 2.5/5 ~ Nice to see the blurbing reduced a bit, not a very inspiring cover though. It seems Thor would fail at limbo dancing. Art: 3.5/5 ~ Pretty good stuff from Kirby. Some Asgardian fight scenes (great splash page), terrific coverage of the Absorbing powers and wonderful sequence where Thor wins the day by changing CC into helium (more on that anon). Story: 3.5/5 ~ Like the previous issue an enjoyable read. There's some good action, a set-up for next month's 'Trial of the Gods' (ooo, can't wait). Crusher Creel resumes his nastiness and has a final showdown with Thor, the police have zero chance of apprehending him. It's the culmination of the story that lets it down. The Absorbing Man is turned into helium and drifts harmlessly into space. Read the Quote of the Day to see how contrived (to avoid Thor killing a mortal) the situation is. Unless Thor has literally nothing else to do for an indefinite amount of time, I don't see how he can fulfil this statement. Quote of the Day ~ "In that gaseous state, he can survive indefinitely! I shall allow him to drift thru space until the unearthly power he possesses is but a useless, forgotten memory! Then, he shall return to Earth, assume his rightful form, and finish out the years of his prison sentence! Thus, the Absorbing Man will be heard of no more!" My assessment ~ This copy is quite nice 'cept for the dust shadow and the ugly T&P stamp (again). I have a sneaky feeling though that now I've sold a few JIM's the rest may be going as well. Thanks for reading!

Fantastic Four #37 April 1965 My Copy - Grade 3.0 One of my earliest ebay purchases. Cover: 3/5 ~ Lovely purpleness & an unusual design in having our heroes so small in the background whilst the 'villains with guns' are so large in the foreground. I'm not convinced it works particularly well though. Art: 4.5/5 ~ Wonderful sci-fi imagery from Jack in this ish. The Skrull wildlife, photomontage of Skrull space, the trip through sub-space and the Skrull homeworld really emphasised his natural talents. Story: 3/5 ~ Lots of pseudo-science this month. I didn't mind it and was quite willing to suspend disbelief, Reed is a genius after all. What bothers me is the one-dimensional egotistical baddies that keep cropping up. Morrat is the latest off the conveyor belt and whilst the FF were in a bit of a pickle because the Skrull air drained their powers, I had no interest in Morrat's power games or why the princess loved him. His death, though deserved, was entirely predictable and contrived for he was the man who 'killed' Sue & Johnny's father, so justice was served on a big, cold platter. The Princess's fate however was a surprise. I thought she had met an untimely and tragically accidental death but no, Sue's force-field saved her. Yay! Sisters are doing it for themselves! In the end the sci-fi storyline just about lifted this issue above the median line of FF stories. Quote of the Day ~ "Didja hear that?? Nothin' but a puny whap!! Me - - who usedta never get anything less than a bar-ooom, or at least a ka-poww!" My assessment ~ Another one for an upgrade. I would like a Fine and can probably afford that but I'm only actively seeking books I haven't got at the moment. Thanks for reading!

Thanks, Mekon And you're right of course, having super-heroes that were flawed and had real world problems meant there was hope for all of us. Further update: JIM #108 sold. Much earlier in this journal I mentioned the pocket books published in 1977 that contributed to my sense of awe at how deep the Marvel Universe really was. My original copies were of course lost or thrown out long ago but I bought the FF #1-6 recently at a great price so treated myself to a slice of nostalgia. Now I'm looking out for the #7-12 edition and a fair priced ASM ones too (these are currently too expensive for what they are, imo.)

Update: JIM #96 & 107 both sold. I'll leave the entries there as a warning to future generations. Amazing Spider-Man #23 April 1965 My Copy - Grade 5.5 Cover: 3.5/5 ~ Spidey can pull off some amazing moves and Ditko captures them so well + Goblin chucking exploding pumpkins? Art: 4/5 ~ Ditko does it again. Some great fight sequences with some gangsters and more impressively with the Goblin. One near death escaping sequence for Spidey (saved by his own incredible ability). Lots of character work done on Peter, J. Jonah, Betty & the shady looking Foswell. And with a lot of Spider-Mans some interesting perspective scenes from our intrepid wall-clinger. Story: 4/5 ~ This story is perfectly framed by the 'normality' of Peter's civilian life, where his worries about wet costumes, Betty's secrets and being late for Aunt May's roast potatoes take precedent. In between we have non-stop action first up against Lucky Lobo's gang (special mention for the intermission in this sequence when he phones up Aunt May whilst the gangsters are beating on the web stuck door; pure genius!) Then more dramatically we have another indecisive battle with the Green Goblin. Not a dull moment is had and the Goblin's plans to take over the rackets and shady Foswell's involvement as a newspaper reporter hint at a larger scheme in play. Quote of the Day ~ "I wish you boys would be more careful! You're liable to skin my knuckles with those hard chins of yours!" My assessment ~ This copy cost quite a bit (for me) so an upgrade is probably beyond my wallet. But it's good looking enough anyway. Keeper. Thanks for reading!

FF #36 but issue 2 it's the fire from the Skrull gun. That should not count...in my geeky opinion

#8 is the first of the Torch's 'slightly burning from an accident in the kitchen' covers. There's a few in the earlyish FF's. You wanna say #2? You should say #2.

A beautiful copy of my second favourite, early FF. Congrats, Jim.

Next up is Claudio's favourite book. Journey Into Mystery #114 March 1965 My Copy - Grade 5.0 Cover: 3.5/5 ~ A battle cover! Probably too much blurbing going on to lift it higher but the clash of the protagonists is dynamically drawn. You can almost hear the sound of hammer against ball and chain. Art: 4/5 ~ Some great action sequences by Jack with plenty of exploding debris, fighting, whirling and a special mention for Loki's new outfit and his demonic looking face on page 4. Story: 3/5 ~ Erm, it's not that bad. Sure the origin is a bit weak (Loki's magic hand drops a magic potion into Creel's drink) but Creel himself is a perfect match for such an awesome power, unlike certain French chemists I could mention. Another weak point in the story is the journalist who first tells Blake of the escaped convict and where he happens to be and then later said journalist happens to be carrying some dynamite?!? Ok, the first part I'm willing to let go for the sake of advancing the plot but the second....ridiculous! Thor however finally meets a mortal who is not a pushover (thanks Stan/Jack for listening), indeed the impasse looked like it was never going to be broken, at least by brute strength alone. However we do not find out how the situation is resolved because Thor is whisked off at the end by his Asgard buddies to save Jane Foster (kidnapped again) from Loki. Quote of the Day ~ "That means I beat 'im! I'm the first guy in the world ever to make Thor run for cover like a whipped dog! And, if I can beat him...now I know I can beat anyone!" Seems to be the month for Marvel's heroes to get their butts kicked! My assessment ~ As with a lot of the JIM's this issue was a surprise. Unlike a lot of them however it was a pleasant one. I faced this issue with some trepidation having been warned how bad it was but I found it to be much more like the later SA issues. Perhaps it was the fact that Thor faced a real threat for once so no contrivances or absurdities were needed. Although I admit there were a couple still included. Probable keeper. SOLD! Thanks for reading!

Hi there I don't know if you aware but after the Eagle was cancelled, Dan's next appearance was in 2000AD #1. His strip ran for quite a few issues sometimes having a break in between. It wasn't illustrated by Hampson although I remember enjoying the stories a lot.

Fantastic Four #36 March 1965 My Copy - Grade 4.5 Bought this at the same as the FF#30 from the same dealer. This too has a CC sticker on the back giving a 4.5 grade. Spot on in this case and thankfully it's also complete. Cover: 4/5 ~ It's a great cover & grabs your attention with the imminent and apparently unseen arrival of the evil Frightful Four. Ben being shackled already, heightens the sense of danger. Artistically it's way above average as well, with the detailed city-scape below, the unusual viewpoint and all the protagonists in plain sight, well crafted & placed. I'm willing to forgive Medusa's hair apparently hanging from the sky. Art: 3.5/5 ~ On the whole some good work done. I particularly liked the juxtaposition of the two panels on page 8. The evil FF above and a whole boat load of super-heroes below. The anti-grav trip into the stratosphere was also very well done. On the negative side it looks like Jack rushed some faces in the smaller panels and Sue on page 13, despite a new hair-do, looks plain ugly. Story: 4/5 ~ The FF definitely meet their match in this issue although they were ambushed but in their own headquarters? Time to invest in a burglar alarm, Reed. The love interest hinted at in the previous issue comes to fruition and Reed & Sue's engagement is announced to the world. Ahhh, what could go wrong? How about some anti-grav discs, metamorphic sand, some decidedly strong PVA & flaming hair of uncanniness! Yep, the evil FF have the FF, albeit minus the Torch, in one hell of a spot and it's up to Alicia to save the day by firing off one of the FF's signal flares. On the subject of Ben's g/f how mad was I that the Wizard sent her off to die a cold and breathless death in the high atmosphere? Very mad!! What a ! Thankfully Johnny came to the rescue but I was really hoping the Thing would land a haymaker on the Wizard for such a despicable act. Also Sue should get special credit for using her powers a lot more than in previous issues. Along with her new hair-do it's looking like Women's Lib is finally hitting the 60's! Quote of the Day ~ "Imagine us beating the invincible Fantastic Four! I can't get over it! We did what nobody else could ever do! Not the Sub-Mariner! Not Doctor Doom, or the Hulk! Nobody except - - the Frightful Four!" My assessment ~ I was quite surprised to pick this copy up for as little as I did. I don't think I'll have the same luck with an upgrade so this is a keeper. Thanks for reading!

I've read quite a few of the SA Thors so I know the standard does improve. I'm hoping for a consistent improvement from the dozen or so JIMs left to review.

The only difference between UK editions and US editions is the price on the cover and the absence of a month under the issue number (to account for shipping to Britain), they were printed on the same presses. As to why there's a difference in value, well there's a number of discussions already on the forums. Here Here & Here Personally I don't mind pence copies but I would only pay 50% of the equivalent cent version because I know they are much harder to move on if I upgrade the book in the future. If the ASM #13 is the one I think it is, it hasn't got the T&P stamp it's marked up 9d in the price box instead of the normal 12c US edition.

Avengers #14 March 1965 My Copy - Grade 5.5 Cover: 2.5/5 ~ I like the city & the ice. I don't like Giant-Man's awkward placement, the purple dudes and the general busyness of the scene. Art: 3.5/5 ~ Some panels were unintentionally funny; the splash page (Giant-Man doing an uncanny Ministry of Silly Walks impersonation). Iron Man standing on one leg twirling aliens on the end of his repulsors. But there is some great work on the alien city and the galactic war and the Avengers' ship was pretty cool as well. Although am I the only person to think that they would have to make their way back to the Arctic to retrieve it? Story: 2.5/5 ~ Better than #13 if only because it contained less absurdities. Yep, in the mighty world of Marvel I don't count a race of aliens living undetected in the polar regions as inherently absurd. There was a little bit of tension over the 48 hours the Wasp had to live and hence the time frame the Avengers had to find the only man on Earth to save her. It certainly wasn't gripping though. In the end the Watcher turns up (yay) and sledgehammers home the irony that if Jan hadn't been shot (chain of events ensued etc) then the Earth would have been blown up. Oh well, that's good then. Quote of the Day ~ "He is here! No!..He is over there! He is everywhere! He hops about like a mechanical man!" My assessment ~ Nowhere near enough in this to make me change my mind about selling this. Thanks for reading! SOLD!

Amazing Spider-Man #22 March 1965 My Copy - Grade 3.0 Cover: 2.5/5 ~ Quite a difficult one to decide upon. The absence of our hero, 'cept for the ol' Spidey signal, is certainly intriguing but would a circus act be enough to make me part with the shekels back in '65? Art: 4/5 ~ Some more quality work from Ditko here. He always keeps things interesting. Special marks for another close-quarter fight sequence, the Python scene and the last panel of Aunt May's house/neighbourhood (did I mention the part where I was weird?). Story: 3/5 ~ Definitely the weakest ASM so far and probably a bit of a filler episode. The Masters of Menace are no real threat to Spidey, his chivalry is though as he refuses to grapple with a woman (Princess Python). How times have changed! Despite the weakness of his opponents though, Lee/Ditko still manage to tell an enjoyable tale without the use of contrivance or absurdity. Quote of the Day ~ "How about that!! I'll bet it's the first time a spider ever tied a python into a knot!! What a dandy paper-weight he'd make!" My assessment ~ Happily keep this but would like a small upgrade if only to improve the PQ which is quite tanned although not brittle.....yet! Thanks for reading!

What's this? Four books from the same month? Journey Into Mystery #113 February 1965 My Copy - Grade 6.0 I've got plenty of books with poor centring but not a book as badly wrapped as this one. Look at that bottom edge! On a positive note it is bright & very glossy. Cover: 2/5 ~ I suppose the blurb would have drawn them in and lovers of microscopes would be thrilled but it's not that interesting and...OMG the Gargoyle is back!....back away from the spinner, kid......slowly back away. Art: 3/5 ~ Some nice Asgard action to start with apparently to placate Kirby and then the rest of the book isn't too shabby either. With a couple of lovely panels of Bifrost (I love that rainbow bridge) and one exceptional one. The stone elevator & car deserve a mention too. Story: 2/5 ~ If this ish had been Asgard free it probably would have scored one but I like the scenes with Odin's temper-tantrum, Loki's scheming and Thor's drinking buddies planning to help their friend. Yes, the Gargoyle is back from the drink? Dredged up from the bottom of the Hudson where he had lain for 6 months. He now apparently has a 'special touch' which can turn someone permanently into stone. Ok, fair enough, he probably needed to be a bit more threatening but any explanation as to his new found power, Stan? Nah, zilch, diddly-squat. He also still wants Thor's power of immortality at least Thor put him straight on that one this time around. So the Gargoyle repeats his actions of #107 and goes after Blake as that's when he met Thor before. And because Odin has stripped Thor of his powers the resulting action is reminiscent of the previous encounter as well, Blake running away from the big stone cheese. GG even says the same things "There is no place you can flee where I cannot follow" Erm, the Hudson river? Final absurdity, after Thor's powers have been restored; Thor uses the electricity from a traffic light to fuse the Gargoyle's stone molecules together. Did he forget that he could summon lightning? Quote of the Day ~ "Only the strong dare to be gentle, my Lord! And only the wise can be as forgiving as Odin!" My assessment ~ What is it with the Grey Gargoyle? Why do Stan & Jack lose their ability to tell a coherent and at least a somewhat believable tale? Just when I thought the JIM's were getting better, but it's another one for the sale pile. SOLD! Thanks for reading!

Thanks a lot for your comments, man. It's much appreciated. I'll have to decline your offer though. I can only review books that I actually have the 'hard-copy' of. Aside from the early FF's my collection is fairly complete. I think I'm missing about 7 copies from 30-400.

Fantastic Four #35 February 1965 My Copy - Grade 5.0 Cover: 2/5 : ~ I can't really put my finger on why but this cover has never excited me. It put me off buying it for a while just for that, mostly, illogical reason. Art: 3/5: ~ Pretty standard Kirby fare, some great fighting action and I loved the ice/water section near the end (I know I'm weird). It was interesting to see Kirby's take on Peter Parker, a humanised Namor! Story: 3/5 ~ Some nice implicit crossover stuff in this issue. A chance meeting with Prof X and Cyclops (in civvies). Johnny referencing ASM #21 with Parker (yay, it pays to have multiple Marvels). I liked how the story was essentially split into two but remained in the same location. The FF's campus 'action' and then the Dragon Man action inspired by a returning Diablo and his improved potions. Touch of Frankenstein about the story/ending but it was ok. The last three panels (no spoilers) hint at new things to come. Hopefully this issue sees the end of the fairly average run that Lee/Kirby have been creating and their diabolical plan to lull us into a false sense of mediocrity will be exposed in the future. Quote of the Day ~ "He was built to be stronger than Ben! He can fly and use flame like Johnny- - and he has Diablo's brain behind him! He's more powerful than us, Reed! It'll be the fight of our lives!" My assessment ~ Again the ugly T&P date stamp but all issues sold in the UK at this time carried them, no pence copies. This copy will have to do for the moment. Saving my pennies for the big hitters now. Thanks for reading!

Now a surprise! My earliest Avengers. I did have 9 & 11 but sold them on the boards here. Avengers #13 February 1965 My Copy - Grade 4.0 Cover: 3/5 ~ The Avengers being repulsed by Nefaria's sickly green rays of stickiness pretty much sums up the story. I do like the control panel though, touch of Kirby magic there. Art: 3/5 ~ I liked the work done on the castle & interiors. The rest was average enough but got the job done. Story: 2/5 ~ A faintly ludicrous story involving time stopping light bulbs, 3D projection technology which was invented by the 'Maggia' but not Doom? Unnecessary castle relocation (surely it would have been easier to rent one of Doc Ock's secret hideouts). Super powerful 'fly-paper' and a carelessly abandoned antidote to said fly-paper. Also Nefaria's laughably scared insistence that the authorities don't send him back home because "the Maggia punishes failure" when he is the head of the Maggia. Did he forget that? Is he going to spank himself really hard? Quote of the Day ~ "I'll admit he's good looking, Jan. But I'll bet that beard would tickle when he kisses a gal!" My assessment ~ Long ago I mentioned that I first got back into collecting comics via the LCBS. They had predominately SA Thor's & BA Avengers so my focus was on these two titles to start with. After a while I found I was buying and enjoying the FF and ASM's more and I realized I couldn't afford to collect everything! Something had to go and in my mind that was the smallish Avengers collection I'd amassed. Sold off a lot of late bronze/copper issues on ebay and I'm still trying to shift these early SA ones. So this and the rest of the Avengers that may be featured are definitely living on borrowed time. Thanks for reading!

Amazing Spider-Man #21 February 1965 My Copy - Grade 3.0 Cover: 4/5 ~ A flaming Torch chucking fireballs? An acrobatic Spidey caught mid-pose in a contortion only he can pull off? A purple & green Beetle poised to strike? Lovely stuff! Art: 4/5 ~ Ditko maintains the level of previous offerings, it's very difficult for me to find fault with his work on ASM so far. Here he excels himself with some great close-quarters fight sequences, followed by a great aerial 'battle' and back to indoor action for the final fight. Interspersed as always with some great character work and a great last page where Spidey's introspection is portrayed in a masterful manner. Story: 3.5/5 ~ Not quite up to the 'trilogy' but still plenty of fun. The story moves along at a great pace, is action packed and contains just enough of those special Spidey moments. Although in this case it's probably a Parker moment when he mouthed off to the unflaming Johnny Storm for indirectly making Betty cry. Quote of the Day ~ "I wonder if the world will ever acclaim me as it does others? Or am I always to go through life shunned and loathed! If only I could reveal my secret identity..if I could let people realize who I am..!...but I just don't dare! My assessment ~ For some reason this is an issue that rarely comes to sale in the UK and it took me a long time to get this one. It's good enough for now but I would love a farm fresh imported from the States copy if only to get rid of that ugly Thorpe & Porter stamp. Thanks for reading!

Yeah, I didn't find it that realistic and Gideon's prose is very hackneyed. I admit that the FF's I have in the late 20's-mid 30's range have been in the doldrums a bit but I know they pick up soon. @Attuma Cheats never prosper!

For the reasons I stated, those being Gideon's unending, ego ridden rants to all & sundry (he's like the Molecule Man without the molecules but with plenty of loose change) and then a total flip at the end when he fears his son may be lost in time which was really easy to fix, btw. All Reed had to do was switch the power off on the Time Displacer. No exceptions for first appearances are made. The book is judged on it's own merits.