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Stan, Jack, and Steve - The 1960's (1962) Jack Kirby creates the Marvel Universe!
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Started by Prince Namor,

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Dr. Haydn

Dr. Haydn

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On 2/1/2023 at 11:42 AM, Prince Namor said:

The numbers are coming in for 1962 and Marvel is UP 1 million copies sold from 1961 (1,040,000)

That is actually slower growth than they saw from 1960 to 1961 (2.6 million copies up.)

 

 

 

Still pretty impressive, considering the price increase from 10 to 12 cents took place near the end of 1961.

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Prince Namor

Prince Namor

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On 2/1/2023 at 7:44 PM, Dr. Haydn said:

Still pretty impressive, considering the price increase from 10 to 12 cents took place near the end of 1961.

Yes, it was a huge factor as even DC felt the effects of it...

DC 1961 vs 1962

 

Superman 820,000 - 740,000 (-80,000)

Superboy  655,000 - 605,000 (-50,000)

Jimmy Ols 520,000 - 470,000 (-50,000)

Lois Lane   515,000 - 490,000 (-25,000)

Batman     485,000 - 410,000 (-75,000)

Action Cm 485,000 - 435,000 (-50,000)

Worlds Fn  480,000 - 420,000 (-60,000)

Adv Com   460,000 -  415,000 (-45,000)

JLA            335,000 - 340,000 +5,000

Det Com    325,000 - 265,000 (-60,000)

 

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Prince Namor

Prince Namor

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ON NEWSSTANDS DECEMBER 1962

For Strange Tales #106 we get a Human Torch (with the rest of the FF) that is Stan Lee (Plot), Larry Lieber (-script) and D. Ayers (Art), but no way Stan is going to let Larry's dialogue ruin this silly story. Just reading it you can tell Stan either altered or did the majority of the -script. The FF is the on title he can't keep his hands off. 

Kirby does the cover and D. Ayers inks it.

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Prince Namor

Prince Namor

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ON NEWSSTANDS DECEMBER 1962

Amazing Spider-man #1 - You know someone who DIDN'T have a lot to say about it? Jack Kirby! But he should have... here's what Comic Book Historian Stan Taylor (RIP) found in his research (from TJKC #70):

But it doesn’t stop there, for while I was cross-referencing the plots to see if any matched up with AF #15, I noticed another striking coincidence, and this staggered me! Not only does it appear that Kirby provided the plot for AF #15, it appears that he also assisted in plotting some of the following Spidey stories. The second and third Spider-Man stories have plot elements taken directly from the second and third Private Strong stories. That’s correct; the first three Spidey stories mirror the first three Shield stories.

The second Private Strong story involves the hero tracking down a Communist spy attempting to steal scientific secrets; the villain tries to escape in a submarine that the hero is forced to put out of action.

This is also the plot of the Chameleon story in Amazing Spider-Man #1.

The villain as a master of disguise was used by Jack Kirby in the first, second, or third story of just about every series he did between 1956 and 1963. (I mentioned he was predictable.) It is found in his first Green Arrow story (“Green Arrows of the World,” Adventure Comics #250, DC Comics, 1958), the second Yellow Claw story, (“The Mystery of Cabin 361,” Yellow Claw #2, Marvel, 1958), the third Dr. Droom tale (“Doctor Droom Meets Zemu,” Amazing Adventures #2, Marvel 1961), the second Fantastic Four story, the second “Ant-Man” story, and the third “Thor” story, all preceding Amazing Spider-Man #1. The specific element of a villain impersonating a hero in order to infiltrate, and/or incriminate him in a crime is one that Kirby used often. Prior to Amazing Spider-Man #1, it can be found in Fighting American (“Three Coins in the Pushcart,” Fighting American #7, Prize Comics, 1954), Green Arrow (Adventure Comics #250), and most recently in Fantastic Four #2. This theme would also be used in the test appearance of Captain America in Strange Tales #114.

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Prince Namor

Prince Namor

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ON NEWSSTANDS DECEMBER 1962

Amazing Spider-man #1 - There's MORE from Comic Book Historian Stan Taylor (RIP) found in his research (from TJKC #70):

In the third Private Strong and Spider-Man stories, we are introduced to the recurring pain-in-the-butt authority figure/nemesis— the one who always gets hoisted on his own petard—a Kirby icon dating back to Captain America. In both stories the adult child of that authority figure gets into a jam and needs the costumed hero to save him or her. In Private Strong’s case, it’s the daughter of the general in charge of the base he is assigned to after being drafted. After she gets trapped in a run-amok tank, Private Strong must save her. In Spider-Man’s story, it’s the son of the editor of the newspaper who hires Peter Parker, and he is trapped in a runaway space capsule that Spider-Man must rescue. Even after saving their offspring, neither of the authoritarian figures considers the hero a particularly positive force, and both think the alter ego character is a bumbling insufficiently_thoughtful_person.

What are the odds, if Kirby didn’t assist on the plots, that the first three Spider-Man stories would mirror the first three Private Strong stories? Wouldn’t one think that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko would have their own plotting patterns? Astoundingly, the second issue of Amazing Spider-Man continues in this same vein...

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Prince Namor

Prince Namor

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ON NEWSSTANDS DECEMBER 1962

Amazing Spider-man #1 - That's some interesting findings... remember Stan Lee worked from synopsis' and pieces of ideas... and that sure seems like more than just a co-incidence that those stories would mirror each other that way... 

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