Stan, Jack, and Steve - The 1960's. (1960) Showing Signs of Life! 2 2

[Prince Namor]

And here's D. Ayer's (inked himself) version from Tales of Suspense #6

[Prince Namor]

Before we go into Ditko's next story, there's history THERE as well. 

This gives us some insight on how things worked and how misunderstanding and misinterpretations play a part in telling the history of this hobby.

First, read this story from Men's Adventure #21 (Bill Everett cover)

It's written by Stan Lee (signed) and drawn by Fred Kida. 

In it, the flying saucers are giant clams, and the humans who are hunting for clams get eaten by the giant clam flying saucers.

[Prince Namor]

When Kirby first came back to Marvel in, Strange Worlds #1, he did a story called 'I Discovered the Secret of the Flying Saucers'.

In it, the Flying Saucer IS the aliens. There's only ONE. And he's friendly and requests help from the human so he can get home.

How would anyone think these are the same story???

Someone DID and actually has it listed that way at comics.org, thus giving the 'Stan Lee?' writer credit.

Oy vey.

But wait... there's more...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS APRIL 1960

So when Steve Ditko comes around looking for work that month... what does he give him?

A synopsis to rework that story? How was that done?

Now it's called 'I Know the Secret of the Flying Saucer!' and again, it's different - you'd never confuse the same story...

Is Stan that devoid of story ideas that... he's already reusing Kirby ideas from less than 2 years ago? Did he not sign his name in case anyone noticed?

They should've just hired Joe Gill. 

From Tales of Suspense #11. 

Penciled and inked by Steve Ditko. Writer unknown. NOT written by Stan Lee. There are no clams in the story. 

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS APRIL 1960

Speaking of Joe Gill, Charlton would give Steve Ditko THREE stories to do in April.

The first is the next appearance of Captain Atom from Space Adventures #34. 

Penciled and inked by Steve Ditko. Written by Joe Gill.

Captain Atom's suit is now yellow. And the Space Race is on!

Edited October 12, 2022 by Prince Namor

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS APRIL 1960

Next is Ditko's story from Space War #5. 

Penciled and inked by Steve Ditko. Written by Joe Gill.

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS APRIL 1960

Next is Ditko's story from Unusual Tales #22. 

Penciled and inked by Steve Ditko. Written by Joe Gill.

I don't much count these covers because they're taking them from the interior art. Pretty cheap, but... it IS Charlton. 

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

The idea that before Marvel started up with Fantastic Four #1 (still a year and a half away), there where 'very little superheroes on the newsstand' and 'the market for them had disappeared' is a misstatement. In May of 1960, you could've walked to the newsstand and found all of these...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

A month like April had to be a head scratcher for Martin Goodman.

Why would Stan release 6 of HIS books (only Millie making a decent return) and only TWO of Jack's books?

Yeah, he was having Jack do a story and the COVER in Kid Colt now and Two Gun, but...

Something had to change...

 

So for May, Marvel would release 10 titles to the newsstand. To do this a few titles would go monthly...

Stan Lee would write 5 of the titles for the month.

 

Kid Colt Outlaw #93 - NOW monthly - 2 stories with Jack Keller and 1 with Jack Kirby.

Gunsmoke Western #60 - 1 story each with Jack Keller, 1 story with D. Ayers, and 1 with John Severin.

Patsy & Hedy #72 - with Al Hartley art 

My Girl Pearl #8 - with art by Stan Goldberg

Rawhide Kid #18 - 2 stories with Jack Kirby and 1 with Ross Andru

 

The other 5 were:

Tales to Astonish #12 - NOW monthly 

Love Romances #89 

Teen-Age Romance #77 - formerly My Own Romance 

Journey Into Mystery #60

Strange Tales #77 

 

More would follow in June...

 

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

I noticed something for this month...

In the three Western's that Stan wrote, depending on how you view Rawhide Kid, the lead stories were 13 pages each. Now Stan had spent his whole career writing just 4-6 page stories, but suddenly we have THREE 13 page lead stories in each of these.

Maybe they need further review... it'll give us a chance to see some artists of the era other than Kirby or Ditko too.

The first is from Gunsmoke Western #60 and it's Kid Colt story drawn by long time artist Jack Keller and possibly inked by D. Ayers.

The cover of course is 'Kirby & Ayers'.

Part ONE:

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

Gunsmoke Western #60

Part TWO:

[Prince Namor]

The story bears at least a passing ode to this one from Two Gun Kid #10 from November 1949.

Cover by Syd Shores with story by Ernie Hart and art by Russ Heath.

It's not a copy per se... the story here is only 8 pages long, but it has many of the same themes - lawman committed to getting Kid Colt, has him dead to rights, he gets away, both captured by the bad guys (one here is an Apache), threaten with torture (only 'talked about' in the Code comic), Kid pretends to team up with them, Kid Colt shot in the arm, saves the lawman, but gets away....

[Prince Namor]

It was kinda cool gettin to post a Golden Age story...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

Stan also 'wrote' a 13 page story in Kid Colt Outlaw #93, one of three he would do for the month. This one is with Jack Keller pencils and D. Ayers inks. 

It's two parts, and it feels like two different stories, but the second part gives us the 'ghost' and it's an interesting genre cross - if it was Stan's idea it's a pretty good one. Later when I show the cover, you'll see how good of a hook it is. 

Part ONE:

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

Kid Colt Outlaw #93, Stan lee story, with Jack Keller pencils and D. Ayers inks. 

Part TWO:

Edited October 15, 2022 by Prince Namor

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

Stan's third 13 pager for the month is in Rawhide Kid #18. It features a cover and story pencils by Jack Kirby, with D. Ayers inking both. It reads like a Kirby story. 

Part ONE:

[shadroch]

On 10/12/2022 at 10:53 AM, Prince Namor said:

Before we go into Ditko's next story, there's history THERE as well. 

This gives us some insight on how things worked and how misunderstanding and misinterpretations play a part in telling the history of this hobby.

First, read this story from Men's Adventure #21 (Bill Everett cover)

It's written by Stan Lee (signed) and drawn by Fred Kida. 

In it, the flying saucers are giant clams, and the humans who are hunting for clams get eaten by the giant clam flying saucers.

That is one crazy cover.  When I first gave it a glance, I thought the alien was holding someone by their ankles.

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

Rawhide Kid #18. Lee - Kirby - Ayers

Part TWO:

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

There's also this 5 pager, again Lee - Kirby - Ayers

Rawhide Kid #18

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1960

Kirby also had a story in Kid Colt Outlaw #93 that month, signed by Stan and inked by D. Ayers (who inks the cover as well.) THAT's the cover I was talkin' about...

Not sure how actually WROTE this story as it's been repeated numerous times...

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by Prince Namor