Stan, Jack, and Steve - The 1960's (1963) Butting Heads, Unexpected Success and Not Expected Failures! 3 3

[Dr. Haydn]

On 3/15/2023 at 3:02 PM, Mmehdy said:

It is very interesting that the quality of many issues varied. As a newstand buyer the Kirby cover would get me everytime, I would not look on the inside...that is just how we bought it...cover only for the young buyers, So I did purchase the Thor above on the newstand and was disappointed when I got home. It is hard to say when the tipping point came for Marvel over DC during that time and Doctor Solar created a collectors stir along with a few other titles. ACG was never in the running and either was Dell except for Space Man...that created a ripple also. I really like the approach of going month by month because I had forgotten about the mundane or average marvel material and just assumed it ALL was great out of the starting gate. If I was forced to pick one year for Marvel, it would be 1968...when the expansion came. FF Annual 1 was considered by collectors along with issue #1 to be the hardest ones to get or most valuable  in 1963, and I recall getting that one and strange tales Annual.  FF5 was a hot book also by 1963.

 Being there, and waiting each for to get my young mind blown by covers and stories which I could understand read and reread are great. My point is that the Kirby/Ditko marvels, even some of the monster books were very re readable ...that carried a lot of value in the early collector days as opposed to a one and out DC superboy...that was the game changer here...from boots on the ground. But as we have seen here..not all Marvels are created equally.

There were a few stinkers early on, weren't there? 

I think Marvel's momentum really picked up later in 1963 when Jack Kirby took on a more active role again (with Avengers and X-Men, and his return to Thor). Also, Stan Lee seemed to take the superhero line more seriously than before, perhaps realizing that this was the future of the comics field, and he ought to get on board. His dialogue had its flaws, of course (sexism and an overreliance on humor come to mind), but it strikes me as more readable than any of the others we have seen in recent months: Larry Lieber, Robert Bernstein, Ernie Hart. (Jerry Siegel's brief tryout in 1963 didn't work out too well either.)

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Sgt. Fury #2 - Script: Stan Lee (Even though we know there was no script) Art: Jack Kirby Inking: Dick Ayers Lettering: Art Simek

Cover by Jack Kirby with Dick Ayers inks

Jack Kirby fought on the front lines of World War II. Stan sat behind a desk stateside for the Army during the war. 

Part ONE

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Sgt. Fury #2 - 

Part TWO

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Sgt. Fury #2 -

Part THREE

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Sgt. Fury #2 -

Part FOUR

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Sgt. Fury #2 - Pin-up!

[Dr. Haydn]

Gabe Jones's skin is an inoffensive grey in this issue. I guess integration was a slow and arduous process in the 1960s!

[Prince Namor]

On 3/16/2023 at 9:46 AM, Dr. Haydn said:

Gabe Jones's skin is an inoffensive grey in this issue. I guess integration was a slow and arduous process in the 1960s!

I wonder who the editor was worried about offending? At DC, Jackie Johnson had been around for two years and even made the cover (from behind...)

 

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

To round out the week, Kirby would do the cover for Gunsmoke Western #77 and Love Romances #106. Both were inked by Dick Ayers.

This was the final issue for both titles. Kirby would do the cover for all 5 titles for the week (and 4 of 5 the following week!)

 

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Fantastic Four #17 - Story: Stan Lee Art: Jack Kirby Inking: Dick Ayers Lettering: Art Simek

(Stan actually may have co-plotted and written a synopsis, and Jack most likely co-plotted and actually wrote the story.)

Stan is using 'Marvel Age of Comics' on all of the Super Hero books PLUS Rawhide Kid, but NOT Sgt. Fury. Hmm...

Part ONE:

Edited March 16, 2023 by Prince Namor

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Fantastic Four #17 - JFK appearance (sort of...)

Part TWO:

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Fantastic Four #17 - Sue takes on Dr. Doom but thanks to Stan's dialogue, only manages to get free thanks to Judo lessons given by Reed Richards!

Part THREE:

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Fantastic Four #17 - Mighty Marvel Ad - HERE is where he puts the 'Marvel Age of Comics!'

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Fantastic Four #17 - Letters Page - FF Annual Announcement - Hulk coming back at some point - Strange Tales Annual Announcement - and more Heroes and Villains Announcement... 

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Fantastic Four #17 - But I thought this was interesting...

[Dr. Haydn]

Last panel of page 17: one of the Howlers has developed the ability to talk while carrying a large amount of dynamite in his teeth.

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Rawhide Kid #35 - Kirby did the cover with inks by Ayers.

For the month Kirby does just the two books, but 9 of 10 covers.

 

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Strange Tales #111 - Plot: Stan Lee Story: H. Huntley Art: Dick Ayers Lettering: S. Harold

Once again we see the story quality drop - it's not BAD - it's just not the 'Marvel Age of Comics' that we see when Kirby (or Ditko) are involved. Ayers art is certainly better than Al Hartley - but again, it's not exciting in the way we'd seen...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Strange Tales #111 - Plot: Stan Lee --script & Art: Larry Lieber Inking: Matt Fox Lettering: Art Simek

Edited March 17, 2023 by Prince Namor

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS MAY 1963

Strange Tales #111 - A Larry Lieber shortcut you see a lot - floating, talking heads. Better than the Ditko 'talking planets' though.

Edited March 17, 2023 by Prince Namor