Harry's Marvellous Meanderings through the Comic Book World 1 1

[Harry Lime]

I forgot I had this issue when I wrote my chronological list out so I almost skipped ahead a few months but no, we're still in the same month, same year. One of the few early FF's that I don't remember reading as a kid...hmmmm, I wonder why?

Fantastic Four #22  January 1964

My Copy - Grade 4.0

 

Cover: 2.5/5 ~ Nice perspective work on the group but far too much blurbing/speech bubbles and just in case you couldn't spot him a massive dark blue arrow pointing to this month's antagonist.

Art: 2.5/5 ~ Great splash page with one of Reed's 'kooky' machines and some nice touches involving Sue's recently attained invisibility powers/force fields. Kirby seems to have nailed down the Thing's iconic look. Everything else is bog standard for the time. The Mole Man's kingdom being in particular somewhat disappointing by Kirby's standards.

Story: 2/5 ~ Sadly this is the weakest part of the issue. If it hadn't been for the light-hearted and enjoyable first 8 pages or so which really showcased the FF's 'family' life and Sue experimenting with her new found powers + the intervention of some irascible neighbours we would have been looking at a JIM level score. I have more than a few gripes about the main plot but I want to be brief so....The Mole Man caused all the neighbourhood griping which made Reed want to seek a more solitary location for his experiments, which led to him going to a small deserted island for sale (trap of course). Really? Moley would go to the bother of not only influencing the police, sundry members of the public, lost cat owners but the Women's Canasta & Mah Jong Society? Ridiculous! Those women are known to be incorruptible. Then on the island, Moley initiates the first of many traps (falling from a great height) which although designed to be non-lethal wasn't apparent initially to the FF and yet they did nothing about it. Reed could have stretched, the Torch could have flamed on, Ben could have grabbed himself some rock, hell, even Sue could have a fashioned herself a nice comfy force field to land in but in the end it was a column of warm air that broke the descent. Yes, the Mole Man saved them so he could (in the best traditions of megalomaniacs everywhere) explain his fiendish plan to start WWIII and have the FF witness him do it. Fair enough but what was to stop the FF from spoiling his plans, don't worry Subterraneans, the Mole Man has built a low radioactive wall! Ugh, I have so many problems with this wall. What was to stop the Torch from flaming on and flying over it? What stopped Reed from doing a big stretchy thing and bypassing it? What stopped the Thing from gathering the other 3 members and throwing them over (aside from dignity of course & dwarf tossing jokes)? Apparently something was stopping them because they did none of the above but rather at exactly the wrong time (Sue is projecting her force field around the WWIII button to stop Moley from pressing it) Reed wants her to extend the field around themselves so they can climb over the wall. Apparently in all the confusion Moley forgot to press the button which he had been aiming his stick at only moments before and decides to become a second-rate Doctor Doom instead by isolating the FF in various cunning & escapable traps. Of course the inevitable happens and one more contrivance later (see QOTD) the island sinks, Moley's villainous scientific apparatus gets a bit damp and the world is saved from a nuclear holocaust. On that note this must have been written very close to the events of the Cuban Missile crisis transpiring.

Quote of the Day ~ "I'm in the Mole Man's man(sic) control room! This is an unbelievable stroke of luck for me! If I can just rearrange a few of these circuits..."

My assessment ~ No wonder I couldn't remember this one, it was pretty bad. Almost certainly the worst FF I've read so far and if it wasn't for the saving grace of the first part of the book and my cowardice in the face of Claudio's wrath it would have scored much lower.

Thanks for reading!

Edited July 5, 2017 by Harry Lime

[Harry Lime]

Ok, so on the just past anniversary of this thread I thought I'd clean this thread (damn picturebucket) by re-uploading what I could & start this back up again due to the incessant public demand and my own OCD'ness.

First up a small recap and mainly meaningless (being subjective) assessment of the books reviewed so far. Any titles without at least five entries have been discarded for not containing a large enough sample for a measured analysis. All scores are the total amount awarded and divided by the number of books reviewed, giving, you guessed it, the average for each category.

Amazing Spider-Man 
17 entries. From #8-34

Grade 4.5 Of course, subject to the whims of someone who recently finished 60th in the Green Eggs grading competition, take that how you will. I think because I started collecting ASM's later than the FFs & JIMs I was more choosy in acquiring an acceptable grade. In the early days I would just snag whatever I could get, mmm, I'm still like that to a certain extant, it really depends on the book.

Cover 3.6 It's Spidey, it's gonna be good.

Art 4.0 No surprise here. I do love Ditko's ASM work. Is he my favourite Spidey artist? Eventually we may find out.

Story 3.8 Again no real surprise. Some great stories covered in that run and I only reviewed 2/3rds of the Master Planner arc!

 

Fantastic Four
31 entries. From #7-48

Grade 3.5 Ouch! My early ultra low grade FFs really let the team down here.

Cover 3.1 A little surprising but 2.5 is the mean average so still good.

Art 3.4 Obviously I like Kirby's work just not quite as much as Ditko's ASM.

Story 3.2  On the whole good enough, the overall score was lowered by a few sub-par issues and a period of muddling along in the late 20's-early 30's.

 

Journey Into Mystery
22 entries. From #92-125

Grade 5.0 Ironic that my least favourite title had the best copies.  C'est la vie! Or another explanation is they were so bad they were rarely read more than once.

Cover 2.6 Only just above the average, the early pre-Kirby covers really let the King down.

Art 3.0 Aside from the early issues reviewed, the art was generally good. Especially loved the Asgard parts!

Story 2.3 Below average! Hang your head in shame, Marvel Bullpen. To be fair from 114 onwards it wasn't too bad but there were some real stinkers in the JIM run.

So overall assessment of the past year. Spidey great! FF good! JIM all sold (except for #99, saving that for a prize in next year's Green Eggs). 2016-2017 was a year where I exclusively focused on a few titles. Now I feel the need to loosen up a bit again. To sample a bit more of what's out there and hopefully we will see that in the coming months.

Thanks for reading!

 

[AJD]

Nice summary Harry. I think I read all of your posts. I think I could say that they average 1.0 "likes" from me.

I'll be interested to see what you think of later JIM/Thor. I like ASM, and some of the Lee/Kirby FF run (I also find some of it almost unreadable - looking at you, inhumans) but I think Thor 126-165 holds up better than all of the others. The space opera nature of it has aged more gracefully than the 60s family and character driven dynamics of the others. I reckon, anyway. You may choose to disagree, and I look forward to seeing why.  

[Harry Lime]

On 30/08/2017 at 6:31 AM, AJD said:

Nice summary Harry. I think I read all of your posts. I think I could say that they average 1.0 "likes" from me.

I'll be interested to see what you think of later JIM/Thor. I like ASM, and some of the Lee/Kirby FF run (I also find some of it almost unreadable - looking at you, inhumans) but I think Thor 126-165 holds up better than all of the others. The space opera nature of it has aged more gracefully than the 60s family and character driven dynamics of the others. I reckon, anyway. You may choose to disagree, and I look forward to seeing why.  

Thanks. Andrew. I'm looking forward to reviewing the later Thors myself, we may have to wait awhile though as I've got some catching up to do in 64-65 (and possibly 63) before we resume our incredibly slow journey through the rest of the decade...and beyond!

Anyway as mentioned previously I've loosened up a bit in terms of collecting recently and one of the recent acquisitions made was a mixed job lot. It contained a lot of late BA/CA X-Men. Some TTA & TOS, various SA/BA books I don't normally read (Cap, Iron Man, Subby, Hulk) etc. But the biggest surprise was finding a Brave and the Bold #35 which for a brief time was my second oldest book, I've subsequently sold it on ebay for a fair price for a beater. Being a Marvel zombie I had no intention of keeping it but I was quite impressed by the artwork therein.

The other surprise (my oldest book for those paying attention) was genuine GA. I had to consult my GA expert (thanks, Ed) to find out what the hell it was as I'd never heard of it before. It's in really poor condition (spine split & detached cover) and falls into the rare but not valuable category of books. Still it was an interesting read for me if only from a historical perspective and must have been riveting for a 40's wanabee FBI kid for it contains and I quote "This series is presented with the cooperation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The situations are true, and the characters are authentic with the exception of 'Steve Saunders' who has been created as a typical example of the intelligent and courageous men of the FBI".

 

It contains quite a few cases, the most famous one being "The Case of Public Enemy No 1", Dillinger, of course. There's also a longer story about Captain Blood (not a pirate), which may have been the start of a serial but as the title itself only lasted 3 more issues it wasn't long term.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

[Harry Lime]

Are we ever going to leave January 1964?

Tales To Astonish #51 January 1964

My Copy - Grade 5.5

 

Cover: 1.5/5 ~ Provisionally a 2 for being pretty bland and boring for a superhero cover (hell, I could fall off a drainpipe) but minus .5 on account of a lying blurb. The scene that this depicts inside, Giant Man doesn't fall at all and although he does have a close encounter with the ground/manhole he does it by jumping off the Radio City RKO building.

Art: 2.5/5 ~ Plenty of Kirby dynamism capturing the Human Top in motion and Giant Man's failures to capture him. Nothing exceptional in here though and a lot of sparsely detailed panels.

Story: 1.5/5 ~ I always struggle to enjoy these shorter stories as much as their full length brothers. It would be better to read them as an arc but my collection is pretty hit & miss at the moment so I'll have to take them as they come. This wasn't such a bad read and had a certain charming naivete about it which was absent from the worst of the JIM's but on the other hand the depiction of the Wasp was probably the most stereotypical portrayal of 60's sexism I've read so far (see QOTD). Her only contribution to the plot, aside from constant & blatant flirting with Hank Pym, was to figuratively wave at the Human Top to lure him into the ol' high pressure fire hydrant trick. Already partially dismayed by this I then had to chortle with undisguised disbelief as the solution to capturing the previously unstoppable Human Top was to liberally apply glue to Giant Man's hands. Glue which remarkably became unsticky when time to hand over to the police 30 seconds later.

Quote of the Day ~ "-sigh- If only you'd chase me the way you chase those corny crooks!"

My assessment ~ Very much an experimental purchase to see what this title was like. As I mentioned it does have a certain charm about it but I doubt that will be enough to make me want to collect them all, at least these earlier solo Ant/Giant Man run. It's also not helped by the fact that the two back-up sci-fi stories (unreviewed) were extremely predictable although the alien art on "No Place To Turn" was kinda jazzy.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

[Mighty Hal]

Just a quick note to say how much I appreciate and enjoy your reviews, Harry. Fun, fun, fun.

[Harry Lime]

On 03/09/2017 at 10:46 PM, Hal Turner said:

Just a quick note to say how much I appreciate and enjoy your reviews, Harry. Fun, fun, fun.

Thanks, Hal. I'm glad you're enjoying them.

Next up a book that always causes a massive feeding frenzy at ebay-uk when it appears so I was glad to pick up a lower grade one here on the boards.

Fantastic Four #25 April 1964

My Copy - Grade 3.5

 

Cover: 4.5/5 ~ I'm going to break my 'rules' here. Despite not one or two but five blurbing boxes I love this cover. Perhaps it's their positioning around the combatants but it seems to accentuate the drama of the picture and with the flames, rubble and wonderful battle position of the Thing & Hulk we know this is going to be one helluva' issue!

Art: 3.5/5 ~ As you would expect from such a cover there's a lot of action panels in this book. Tearing up buses, punching through wheels, toppling buildings, high voltage electrocution, testing the structural integrity of the Washington Bridge, this one has it all! Kirby really lets rip with the carnage and destruction but I did feel some of his panels of the Hulk were a bit vague? This is early Hulk though, I think he was in-between jobs, so he's eventual appearance may have been undetermined.

Story: 4/5 ~ Plot wise there's not a lot here. The Hulk finds a newspaper clipping, decides to take out the Avengers and heads to New York to do so. Reed Richards has the earliest known strain of 'man flu' and has to take to his bed. The Torch, en-route to fetch a doctor, spots the Hulk ripping up the city and fails miserably to stop him. Ben & Sue notified by the commissioner hasten to the fray. Sue does an equally poor job of protecting her brother from ol' greenskin and faints from the strain of it all. Move aside people it's time for the big boys to play as the Thing & Hulk finally get the chance to lay mitts on each other (forget about #12, this is the real McCoy). And so for the next 11 pages we're treated to the greatest battle of the super-heavyweights that Marvel has shown us so far. The Thing is out-punched but never outclassed as his bravery and slight edge in agility manage to stall the Hulk for valuable minutes. Eventually though the Hulk wears him down and leaves the beaten Thing to continue on his Avenger hunting. We shall read the gripping conclusion to the story next month. Yay! Btw, this would have got 4.5 but one half point deducted for "Bob" Banner. Sorry, Marvel continuity person but that's unforgivable.

Quote of the Day ~ "Where are your wisecracks now, Thing?? Your insulting remarks?? Where is the strength you always brag about?

"Maybe I left 'em in my other suit! Hey...Leggo! That's the hand I eat pizza with!"

My assessment ~ Highly enjoyable earlyish FF. On this day it really was the "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine"   

Thanks for reading!     

Edited September 6, 2017 by Harry Lime

[Harry Lime]

Amazing Spider-Man #12 May 1964

My Copy - Grade 4.0

 

Cover: 4.5/5 ~ What kid could have walked past this in '64 and not immediately snapped it up. Spidey unmasked!? The drama, the humiliation, the howshegonnagetoutofitness. Even the blurbs do a good job of hiding the blank background as well as convincing us that this shiz is real!

Art: 4/5 ~ As I seem to be saying every time, typical Ditko fare. Which means great emotional cameos, tremendous close-quarters action and detail packed panels. My favourite parts were the burning artist studio, J Jonah getting doused with water and, of course, the 'unveiling'. Oh,wait, I forgot the wonderful multi-character splash page as well. The Lee/Ditko relationship, fractious later on, must have been at it's zenith as Ditko even slipped in a little Easter Egg for the true believers.

 

 

Story: 4.5/5 ~ Starts off with Doc Ock committing crimes in other US cities in the hopes of attracting Spider-Man so he can finally beat him, early 60's America must have been a dangerous place outside of New York. Of course because of the limitations of our eponymous hero (school, no money, Aunt May's fretting) this doesn't achieve the desired effect so the good doctor finally returns to the Big Apple to exact his revenge by kidnapping Betty Brant and setting out his demands for her safe return. Parker who is coming down with same strain of man flu that crippled Reed Richards a month earlier bravely sets out to rescue her from the 6-armed fiend. But because of the virus he's reduced to fighting as well as I can, he is swiftly overcome by an indignant Doc, who wrongly, thankfully, assumes it's just a stunt. However in the ensuing chaos Peter's foolhardy action does allow Miss Brant to escape his clutches. The next day Peter is fighting fit (joyous panel denoting that) which is a good thing as the frustrated Doctor has let loose all the dangerous animals from the zoo. After a few fillerish pages where Spidey aids the police in rounding them up we reach the last part of the story which involves a tremendous battle between the two protagonists. Water towers, very tall chimneys, roof tops, air shafts, the aforementioned artist studio all become the backdrop for what is probably the best Spidey fight so far (chronologically). The fight is only stopped when Doc Ock is pinned under a heavy statue amidst the flames. Spidey still tries to rescue his most bitter enemy but is forced back by the heat and then has to fashion an ingenious web inspired escape for himself. It is never explained how Doctor Octopus was freed but it happens and once emerged from the burning building he's arrested by the cops. The ending to this issue is also one of the rarest for early Spidey, it's happy!

Quote of the Day ~ "Blast him! That's the real Spider-Man all right!! Parker would never have had the nerve to soak me that way!"

My assessment ~ The best of the early Spideys? If not, it's damn close.

Thanks for reading!

Edited September 7, 2017 by Harry Lime

[Harry Lime]

On to the conclusion of the epic Thing/Hulk battle!

Fantastic Four #26 May 1964

My Copy - Grade 3.0

 

Cover: 1.5/5 ~ Wow, this cover must have been rushed. The scale is all wrong (what were they building, the world's tallest midget apartment block?) The perspective is off and the figures are too small & flat. Still it has got 10 super-powered types on it, not sure if that constitutes a galaxy, but it must have been pretty exciting to see.

Art: 3.5/5 ~ I may have been too harsh on #25 (looks apologetically towards the Mylar encased copy). The action sequences in this are not as full on or as well done. On the other hand there are a lot more characters to be drawn in action. There was one moody set of panels down in the subway that I particularly liked unfortunately they were kinda spoiled by an unintentionally funny panel of a morose Hulk driving the train on the next page.

   

 

Story: 3.5/5 ~ It's funny but I read both of these stories (again) a couple of years ago in FF Annual #4 when I didn't have the originals. I was blown away by #25 & quite disappointed by #26 back then. This time #25 didn't impress me as much but #26 was better than I remembered. Sure the FF & Avengers getting in each others way was a bit annoying & predictable and the lack of a coordinated battle plan said a lot about the respective leadership skills of each team. Indeed the Wasp, on her own initiative, probably did more than anybody to 'stop' the Hulk. But the story is more than entertaining for the most part as the FF, including a weak & woozy but on the mend Reed and an asbestos bandage wearing Torch join the fray along with the recently returned to New York, Avengers. Aside from the start when Ben, somehow (see QOTD), attacks the Hulk again, most of the action is around the construction site so at least the cover isn't lying to us. It's highly doubtful, considering their relative ineptitude, that the combined forces of the FF & Avengers would have stopped the Hulk but some quick thinking from Rick Jones with a gamma-ray treated capsule and some stinging ants (well done, Wasp) caused the Hulk to dive into the Hudson and change back into Bob (or whatever his name is this month) Banner unseen. My only serious gripe with the book was this scene as instead of continuing the battle, the combined groups decide, irresponsibly, that it would be pointless to look for the Hulk any further as he has "the strongest lungs on Earth" and could hide for hours. Really!?

Quote of the Day ~ "It's amazing! The Thing must be fighting on sheer courage alone! But he just won't quit!"

My assessment ~ Still a slight let down to the events of #25 but these things happen. It'll be a while before the Thing & Hulk meet again.  

Thanks for reading! 

[Harry Lime]

Part of the mixed job lot I picked up.

Strange Tales #121 June 1964

My Copy - Grade 3.5

 

Cover: 1.5/5 ~ Probably being slightly generous here for a split-panel cover with lots of blurbing and nothing much going on 'cept for the Torch getting pelted by acorns.

Stories covered separately.

The Human Torch ~ "Prisoner of the Plantman!"

Art: 2.5/5 ~ Bog standard really. Stand out piece for me was the splash page with the full length depiction of the Plantman (kinda cool looking). Ayers' Johnny Storm is marginally more heroic & muscular than Kirby's. In the small section with the FF we discover another artist who struggles to draw the Thing and there's plenty of plant based shenanigans.

Story: 0.5/5 ~ Oh boy, I haven't read a story as bad as this since the early JIM's. The Plantman is back (after a potted recap of his last appearance) and wants revenge on the Torch. He achieves this by getting a walking shrub to throw a bucket of water on him and locking him in the closet whilst he robs Johnny's local hotel. It apparently takes a half hour for the Torch to dry off even though there's dry clothes in there! I think I laughed hard at that point, indeed the humour angle is the only reason this story got any marks at all. Eventually, once he's dried off he's delivered a challenge from the Plantman to meet at the Botanical Gardens. Logical place for a Plantman to fight, right? What dastardly plan could he have? Giant Venus Fly-Traps? Strangling super vines? Hypnotic fragrances from the Madagascan pitcher plant? Those stamen shooting flower things from ST:TOS? Nope, none of the above, wet acorns will do it (see QOTD)! One contrivance later after being trapped, the Torch grabs a handily placed weed killer spray (make that two contrivances later) and kills all of the outside plants under Plantman's control. So, what the Plantman should fear most is not a flaming hot superhero but a gardener with some weedol. Hey, I could be a superhero! To add further insult to injury the Torch finally takes out Planty by a simple right cross to the jaw, no super powers needed. Er, Johnny you could have done that in your bedroom at the beginning of this sorry tale.

Quote of the Day ~ "Too many of them!! Covered with dew! So moist--putting out my flame!!"

 

Doctor Strange ~ "Witchcraft in the Wax Museum!"

Art: 2.5/5 ~ Some nice little mystical touches as Strange hunts for his body but a lot of blank backgrounds when things get corporeal. From what I've seen Ditko's Dr Strange work doesn't come close to his ASM work.

Story: 1.5/5 ~ Kinda dull. Strange has his body stolen by Mordo and has 24 hours to re-enter it or perish. It takes a surprisingly long time to find it considering his amulet is tracking it but there's still no sense of suspense built up. There follows a wax figure coming to life, a seemingly final victory for Mordo and an obvious deception by Strange. Ho hum, just another day in the Village.

Quote of the Day ~ For the first time ever I couldn't find a decent quote.    Let's have another one from the Plantman!

"Firstly you must find...another shrubbery! THEN... Then, when you have found the shrubbery, you must place it here, beside this shrubbery, only slightly higher, so we get the two-level effect with a little path running down the middle"

My assessment ~ Very little in here to make me want to collect the full run. This copy was cheap as chips so I should be able to move it on easy enough.

Thanks for reading!

[AJD]

A "potted" recap of the plantman. I see what you did there.  

I also laughed out loud at the second quote. I say "ni" unto you.

[Harry Lime]

Just when we thought we were making forward momentum in the time stream along comes a parcel of greatness from sunny Canada to send us hurtling back to 1963. Way back on the first page of this thread I reviewed FF #16, well finally here's the (sort of) sequel.

Fantastic Four #17 August 1963

My Copy - Grade 5.5 Seems to be a tough book to find in a nice grade. I've seen a lot of brown & dull looking copies but this is still bright & glossy. Thanks, Robert!

 

Cover: 2.5/5 ~ Of course being split panelled it's never going to get high scores from me although it's better than most with a degree of danger present in all and Doom tying it all together like a mechanical lever pulling spider. I especially liked the Thing's segment and had to laugh at the "The Threat of the Swirling Cement!" I wonder which comic was the first to blurb "The Marvel Age Of Comics!" it's certainly a popular refrain in these early books.

Art: 4/5 ~ There's a surprising amount of variety in this issue. The Baxter Building, Doom's airship HQ, the mean streets of New York, assorted locales in said city. Typical Kirbyesque machinery (both Reed's & Doom's), power spheres, floating followers (personally I remembered these the most out of all the events in the book), the Kremlin & White House both feature as do power plants and factories. I haven't even mentioned the trapped rooms which were well done although Reed's ability to move through oxygen pockets to escape almost stretched suspension of disbelief to breaking point. With so much going on Kirby must have needed a long nap after completing this issue.

Story: 4/5 ~ I complained in the review to the previous issue that Doom didn't actually do much, well that's certainly corrected here. After a mini recap of the events of #16 Doom achieves an almost omnipotent presence as he single-handedly declares war on the US. This is an economic war as, somehow, Doom is able to interfere with all the electronic doodads that run the military industrial complex grinding America to a standstill (he would have a whale of a time today). To make matters worse he kidnaps Alicia to safeguard against any Fantastic Four interference. However he overlooks two things; Reed's ability to spot suspicious clouds (Doom's HQ is in it) & the transformation of the Thing/Ben Grimm. For by transforming his old buddy into his human self, Reed knows that Ben will not trigger Doom's disintegrator defenses and be able to penetrate the airship. The plan is achieved only by a supreme effort of will by Ben who felt himself changing back into the Thing just at the wrong time and managed to stop it for a few, precious seconds. Once on board the Thing smashes the disintegrator machinery allowing the rest of the gang to join him. They split up to find Alicia (glad they didn't forget about her) and manage to spring Doom's traps one by one. After they heroically escape them, it's time for a quick creation of some 'flame images' which fool the power spheres and allow the FF (minus Sue) to surprise Doom in his control room. Doom slips out to get Alicia but is further surprised to find Sue has swapped places with her and then we are all surprised to find Sue taking the fight to Doom! You go-go, girl! Just as Doom is preparing to fry Sue with a ultra-heat beam the rest of the FF burst in again and Doom being cornered, opens a panel in the side of the airship and apparently plummets to the ground.

Quote of the Day ~ "No matter what happens, Reed, I know you tried your best! And if my life's gotta depend on someone, I'd rather it be you than anyone I know, ya old hound dog! Well, bottoms up, kiddies!"

My assessment ~ A very enjoyable & memorable early outing for the FF. I have a nice little run of 13-17 now. #12 is probably too pricey at the moment but a Super Skrull is not beyond my means. 

Thanks for reading!   

Edited September 19, 2017 by Harry Lime

[Harry Lime]

The sequel to the sequel, another early FF gem from Canada. Gotta love those white pages.

Fantastic Four #23 February 1964

My Copy - Grade 6.5

 

Cover: 5/5 ~ In my personal top 3 of Doom covers which means it's very good indeed! Love the Marvel monitor look and the Kirby cosmicness threatening to destroy the FF.

Art: 3.5/5 ~ Aside from the 'cosmic' room no real high points (the 'crim seeking robot was kinda cool) (oh, and the baby dinosaur, heck there were a few high points after all) but no low points either. Just Kirby drawing consistently well and injecting his dynamism into each and every panel.

Story: 3.5/5 ~ Can be broken down into three parts. Part one; Reed is being bossy and his partners don't like it so they hold their own election for leader. The Torch and Thing have a fight over the result and Reed + Sue break it up. Part two; Doom is back. His death-defying escape from the airship plunge is not explained (unless I've not read the appropriate book) and is seeking three small time criminals to help with his master plan. He enhances their natural abilities (strength, fire resistance, hearing (?) ) and one by one they capture the FF. Part three; Doom puts them in his special room coated with ionic dust powder (please suspend disbelief at this point). But before he can enact his diabolical plan the FF escape and try to do battle. I say try because in this close-quarter setting Doom is able to match them and soon disappears through one of his, (no doubt many) secret hatches to leave the foursome at the mercy of the solar wave which is disintegrating the room they are trapped in. Again some quick thinking from Sue saves the day as she projects her force-field through the wall to pin Doom in place so he will die with the rest of them. This causes Doom to attempt to stop the solar wave/disintegration process by pulling some wires. Before he can do so however Ben pulls him into the room and hurls him off into the cosmic space where an even larger fall awaits him? The FF then escape the deadly room by virtue of the open secret panel and we can all breathe easy again.

Quote of the Day ~ "Put out of action by a plant pot! I'll never live it down!" No, Johnny you won't. Has any superhero had a more mundane or trifling Achilles heel?  

My assessment ~ I don't think I've ever read this book before which was a surprise in itself. Although I enjoyed the normal FF antics and Doom is always the best of the megalomaniacs it had a tad too much 'dodgy science' (not just the ionic dust) to elevate it into the higher echelons of early Marvel.

Thanks for reading!

Edited September 25, 2017 by Harry Lime

[Harry Lime]

My second Marvel multi-coloured logo annual! Apologies for going back in time again but it'll be forward momentum after this (for the time being).

Strange Tales Annual #2 October 1963

My Copy - Grade 1.8 Another example that I'll take virtually anything if it's a book I really want, stupid I know.

 

Only the main story will get the full review but I will list extremely brief observations about the other stories included in the book.

Cover: 2/5 ~ Really not a lot happening on this dull Tuesday afternoon. Torch gets stuck in a web and Spidey attempts the world's stiffest hug. Like the FF Annual #1 however I do love the logo.

Art: 2.5/5 ~ I must admit I'm not a fan of Kirby's Spider-Man at least in the early days (I have no idea if he drew him after ASM #8). He looks kinda stiff & flat compared to Ditko's take on the character. However for an early Marvel the art wasn't too bad. I enjoyed the first fight sequence between Torch/Spidey and some of the interiors were nice. And the added bonus that I now know where the Torch lives so beware Johnny Storm I have a plethora of moist wipes at the ready. 

Story: 2/5 ~ Not a lot to it. An early framing of Spidey to get him & the Torch fighting. A very handy & contrived Spidey-Sense that enables the twosome to track the antagonist across most of New York and a villain that likes to dress up as old ladies bearing super glue laden bags. The whole thing felt rushed and very much 'by the numbers'. Did Stan Lee even write this as Spidey didn't really seem like Spidey whereas the Torch still felt like the Torch in the FF?

Quote of the Day ~ "It's a spooky feeling - - knowing that he could be anywhere, watchin' me with that blasted spider vision of his!!"        What?!? There's a spider vision now?

My assessment ~ I wanted this because it's very early Spidey (around about ASM #5) and it's now the earliest Spider-Man I own...trouble is it didn't really feel like Spider-Man. Oh well, perhaps it'll grow on me.

 

Next up all the very short stories that make up the rest of the annual. I don't know if these are reprints or new. I'm guessing reprints.

I was the Invisible Man!

A moralistic sci-fi tale about the perils of moving too fast and the dangers of neglecting to look in the mirror occasionally. 

I was a Prisoner on the Planet of Plunder!

A sci-fi story with one of those twist endings caused by a disability. Some nice rocket and space art.

I am Robot

Sadly not having an Asimovian slant but a very contrived story about a robot looking after a child as part of a test (there's also the least determined alien invasion ever seen). Some touches of nice futuristic surbania.

Worlds within Worlds!

Classic sci-fi tale with some very nice 'microbe slide/space art'. Story was a tad predictable though.

I was the Man who Lived Twice!

Contrived and pointless . Easily the worst in the book.

I Fly to the Stars!

Some good sci-fi imagery backed by solid relativity inspired science. A satisfying read.

Prison 2000 A.D.

Another satisfying tale, slightly predictable but none the worse for it.

I am the Scourge of  Atlantis

Nice submarines! Far-fetched yarn with a 'giant' toddler ending.

Nightmare Planet!

Think Gulliver's Travels crossed with the TOS episode Blink of an Eye.

I  Captured the Abominable Snowman!

A moralistic story about the downside in having your cake and being it.

The Man who Reviewed Too Many Comics!

A weird yarn about a man who occasionally contacts nebulous beings half a galaxy away. Extremely predictable ending.

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

44 minutes ago, Harry Lime said:

My second Marvel multi-coloured logo annual! Apologies for going back in time again but it'll be forward momentum after this (for the time being).

Strange Tales Annual #2 October 1963

My Copy - Grade 1.8 Another example that I'll take virtually anything if it's a book I really want, stupid I know.

 

Only the main story will get the full review but I will list extremely brief observations about the other stories included in the book.

Cover: 2/5 ~ Really not a lot happening on this dull Tuesday afternoon. Torch gets stuck in a web and Spidey attempts the world's stiffest hug. Like the FF Annual #1 however I do love the logo.

Art: 2.5/5 ~ I must admit I'm not a fan of Kirby's Spider-Man at least in the early days (I have no idea if he drew him after ASM #8). He looks kinda stiff & flat compared to Ditko's take on the character. However for an early Marvel the art wasn't too bad. I enjoyed the first fight sequence between Torch/Spidey and some of the interiors were nice. And the added bonus that I now know where the Torch lives so beware Johnny Storm I have a plethora of moist wipes at the ready. 

Story: 2/5 ~ Not a lot to it. An early framing of Spidey to get him & the Torch fighting. A very handy & contrived Spidey-Sense that enables the twosome to track the antagonist across most of New York and a villain that likes to dress up as old ladies bearing super glue laden bags. The whole thing felt rushed and very much 'by the numbers'. Did Stan Lee even write this as Spidey didn't really seem like Spidey whereas the Torch still felt like the Torch in the FF?

Quote of the Day ~ "It's a spooky feeling - - knowing that he could be anywhere, watchin' me with that blasted spider vision of his!!"        What?!? There's a spider vision now?

My assessment ~ I wanted this because it's very early Spidey (around about ASM #5) and it's now the earliest Spider-Man I own...trouble is it didn't really feel like Spider-Man. Oh well, perhaps it'll grow on me.

 

Next up all the very short stories that make up the rest of the annual. I don't know if these are reprints or new. I'm guessing reprints.

I was the Invisible Man!

A moralistic sci-fi tale about the perils of moving too fast and the dangers of neglecting to look in the mirror occasionally. 

I was a Prisoner on the Planet of Plunder!

A sci-fi story with one of those twist endings caused by a disability. Some nice rocket and space art.

I am Robot

Sadly not having an Asimovian slant but a very contrived story about a robot looking after a child as part of a test (there's also the least determined alien invasion ever seen). Some touches of nice futuristic surbania.

Worlds within Worlds!

Classic sci-fi tale with some very nice 'microbe slide/space art'. Story was a tad predictable though.

I was the Man who Lived Twice!

Contrived and pointless . Easily the worst in the book.

I Fly to the Stars!

Some good sci-fi imagery backed by solid relativity inspired science. A satisfying read.

Prison 2000 A.D.

Another satisfying tale, slightly predictable but none the worse for it.

I am the Scourge of  Atlantis

Nice submarines! Far-fetched yarn with a 'giant' toddler ending.

Nightmare Planet!

Think Gulliver's Travels crossed with the TOS episode Blink of an Eye.

I  Captured the Abominable Snowman!

A moralistic story about the downside in having your cake and being it.

The Man who Reviewed Too Many Comics!

A weird yarn about a man who occasionally contacts nebulous beings half a galaxy away. Extremely predictable ending.

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

 

I'd give the cover an extra point out of five for the fact they forgot Spideys chest logo Harry 

[Harry Lime]

On 03/10/2017 at 8:00 PM, Marwood & I said:

I'd give the cover an extra point out of five for the fact they forgot Spideys chest logo Harry 

I would have to disagree. A minus .5 for such a glaring omission and a minus 5 to the reviewer for failing to spot said omission. 

Next up we return to that most Sargasso Sea of months.

X-Men #3 January 1964

My Copy - Grade 2.0 Ack, I've flipped and started collecting the X-Men again. I'm regretting selling my 8 & 14 now.

 

Cover: 2/5 ~ I don't think the white background does this any favours. Or the big fat guy wearing underpants. Kirby tries his best to inject some dynamism but it's hard to do when the character's main strength is that he cannot be moved. It does have Bobby Drake throwing an ice paper aeroplane though, that's cute. 

Art: 2.5/5 ~ On the whole pretty good with plenty of well done action scenes. There were a lot of blank backgrounds however and the Blob must have a been a struggle for Jack (surely the inspiration for Boh in Spirited Away). I'm not sold on the idea of Iceman wearing booties either.

Story: 3/5 ~ More enjoyable than I thought it was going to be despite a rather large contrivance (inviting the Blob to the secret HQ without knowing if he was going to join the X-Men) and the revelation that Professor X has the hots for Marvel Girl! He must be twice her age and he's only just met her, the dirty dog. The infighting between the youngsters, borrowed from the success of the FF of course, did feel a bit derivative but also a natural state of affairs for 'high-spirited' teenagers. The competition for Marvel Girl's affections was a new dynamic to add to the team as well and something not likely to be replicated in the FF.

Quote of the Day ~ "My X-Men are fighting valiantly! But, although they possess all the power they need, they still have not sufficient skill to use it properly!" Pretty much sums up the early X-Men and puts them in the same flawed bracket as Marvel's other big-hitters.

Thanks for reading!

 

Edited October 7, 2017 by Harry Lime

[AJD]

Harry's latest review - the meta-review

X-Men #3 January 1964

His Copy - rated 'cool'.

 

Cover review: 1.5/5 ~ Harry lets the side down here, with insufficient regard for the visual effrontery of the fat dude in his undies. (The Incredible Y(front)-MEN?)

Art review: 3/5 ~ Not a whole lot of words, but some well chosen ones, and a bonus for the 'Spirited Away' reference.

Story: 4/5 ~ Great stuff. Harry only loses a point for the review not turning into x-rated fanfic about Professor X and Marvel Girl. (And dibs on the title '50 shades of Jean Grey' (c) me just now)

Quote of the Day ~ 5/5  hard to argue with Harry's choice, mostly because every early X-MEN book has nothing but lines like that one.

All in all, Harry keeps delivering.

[Duffman_Comics]

No thread left behind, Harry.

I am watching "Mean Girls" as I type and I am seeing a lot of Board parallels. A lot.

Funny that your latest offering is "Uncanny X-Men" #3. This, was the oldest Marvel I had for many years - I found it in my Scout Hall, of all places, ca 1970.

Thought I'd preserve it by putting tape around the three open sides of the cover

[Harry Lime]

On 07/10/2017 at 12:40 PM, AJD said:

Harry's latest review - the meta-review

X-Men #3 January 1964

His Copy - rated 'cool'.

 

Cover review: 1.5/5 ~ Harry lets the side down here, with insufficient regard for the visual effrontery of the fat dude in his undies. (The Incredible Y(front)-MEN?)

Art review: 3/5 ~ Not a whole lot of words, but some well chosen ones, and a bonus for the 'Spirited Away' reference.

Story: 4/5 ~ Great stuff. Harry only loses a point for the review not turning into x-rated fanfic about Professor X and Marvel Girl. (And dibs on the title '50 shades of Jean Grey' (c) me just now)

Quote of the Day ~ 5/5  hard to argue with Harry's choice, mostly because every early X-MEN book has nothing but lines like that one.

All in all, Harry keeps delivering.

This, sir, is bloody brilliant! Absolutely love it.

 

On 07/10/2017 at 1:39 PM, Duffman_Comics said:

No thread left behind, Harry.

I am watching "Mean Girls" as I type and I am seeing a lot of Board parallels. A lot.

Funny that your latest offering is "Uncanny X-Men" #3. This, was the oldest Marvel I had for many years - I found it in my Scout Hall, of all places, ca 1970.

Thought I'd preserve it by putting tape around the three open sides of the cover

Thanks Duffman. Did the preservation work?

 

So jumping on a bit but still firmly in 1964, my next review, the earliest Daredevil I own.

Daredevil #3 August 1964

My Copy - Grade 3.0 Lazy scan. I forgot to take the micro-chamber paper out.

 

Cover: 2/5 ~ Whilst I appreciate the blurb attack being kept to a singular entity the image itself is kinda mundane and Daredevil's 'entrance', stiff & unnatural. And who is the brunette? Surely not Karen Page?

Art: 3/5 ~ First time I've seen Orlando's work and I admit I didn't know what to make of it. In the end I decided that the like for the heavy shading, gloomy lighting and the Owl's aerie outweighed the inconsistent character drawing and general struggles with the depiction of the Owl. I'm probably in the minority but I like the yellow costume although I'll admit that the hood/bag is not a good look.

Story: 2/5 ~ Man, this had a lot of text in it. Not only was it dialogue laden but many of the bubble free panels had text boxes competing for space as well. Normally I like books with plenty to say but it was a bit of a chore to wade through this one. The despicable Owl (cross between Dr Doom & Bernie Madoff) turns from 'legit' into a criminal seemingly and confusingly on the whim of one suicidal accountant and some papers found in a briefcase. Then of course he hires Matt Murdock but again without explanation deliberately becomes a wanted man for failing to turn up at a hearing whilst being super cocky beforehand that he was going to get off easily. Daredevil also gets over confident about his own tracking abilities (see QOTD). Then with a bit more cockiness the Owl declares himself the Overlord of Crime with only two henchman and just has time for one more contrivance in kidnapping Karen Page (the girl on the cover) and forcing DD to surrender in the process. Of course, our hero saves the day with the help of a double jointed cotter pin and a very brief fight with the big guy. Initially it looks like the Owl is going to get away via his speedboat but Daredevil stops him with a swift billy club to the propeller to turn our antagonist into a possible dead duck.  

Quote of the Day ~ "I'll cover the bridges leading out of the city! If he's crossed any of them, the scent of his unusual hair tonic should still be detectable to me!"

My assessment ~ Hmmm, a slight disappointment but it's to be expected that in the early life of a character they'll be some duds along the way.

Thanks for reading! 

[AJD]

Alas, I fear that all the early Daredevils are like that. I honestly think that if not for Frank Miller, Daredevil would be a solid C-grade character to this day.