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

[Prince Namor]

ANATOMY OF A STORY

I first read this story in Giant Size Fantastic Four #2 at the age of 11, taking great joy in the Giant Size Marvels and Treasury Editions to read reprints... 

 

I love how Kirby shows this transformation... it still resonates with me 48 years 

 

And of course this first appearance of the Watcher. It's amazing, the difference in a Kirby story vs what else Marvel is doing....

Edited February 19, 2023 by Prince Namor

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Fantastic Four #13 - Letters page 

[Prince Namor]

Joe Sinnott was supposed to originally draw JIM #90? How long did they know it wasn't going to be Kirby?? Again, Stan's stories don't add up, the more information we get...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Fantastic Four #13 - Advertisement page

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

GunSmoke Western #75 - Cover by Jack Kirby.

This is a book that's going to be cancelled after the following issue, but... they have Jack do this. You have MR. Ayers or the legendary EC artist Jack Davis, who did legendary covers for EC, but...

Statement of Publication shows a paltry 126,475 average copies...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963 

Love Romances #104 - Cover by Jack Kirby, as well as 7 page interior story. Another title set to be cancelled with #106. Why are they wasting him on these?

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

One week later (January 10, 1963) we'd get Strange Tales #107 - featuring a cover by Jack Kirby... this seems like a perfect type of story for Jack...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - but instead we get Art by D. Ayers (with plot by Stan, -script by Larry)...

This is the best of what we can expect of a Kirby-less Marvel. Reusing old concepts... this one a villain from the FF (and a great one at that) and repeating a concept (fire vs water) between the two, first played out in 1942's Human Torch #8 (written by Mickey Spillane and Ray Gill).

It's pretty enjoyable... Ayers does a good job as well. 

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - it still annoys me that the writer and editor just don't see the character the same way... his speech patterns are NOT the Prince Namor that Kirby does...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - Hmmm...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - !!!

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - !!!

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - Oh hell no...

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - Leapin' Larry Lieber took Stan's PLOT and did the -script AND art for this 5 page story. 

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - Story: Stan Lee, Art: Steve Ditko

[bc]

On 2/19/2023 at 1:59 PM, Prince Namor said:

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - Story: Stan Lee, Art: Steve Ditko

I have to go back and look, but didn't we just see the "fountain of youth" twist plot in another book?

-bc

[Zonker]

On 2/19/2023 at 1:01 PM, Prince Namor said:

Joe Sinnott was supposed to originally draw JIM #90? How long did they know it wasn't going to be Kirby?? Again, Stan's stories don't add up, the more information we get...

According to the GCD, there was a backup story in JIM #90 penciled & inked by Sinnott called "I Am a Robot"

Is Stan here typing the word "-script" when he means "strip?"  Or more evidence that what Stan means by the word -script isn't what the rest of the world thinks it means?  

[Dr. Haydn]

On 2/19/2023 at 12:01 PM, Prince Namor said:

Joe Sinnott was supposed to originally draw JIM #90? How long did they know it wasn't going to be Kirby?? Again, Stan's stories don't add up, the more information we get...

"Has his own -script"? Hmm...

[Dr. Haydn]

On 2/19/2023 at 12:40 PM, Prince Namor said:

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Strange Tales #107 - but instead we get Art by D. Ayers (with plot by Stan, --script by Larry)...

This is the best of what we can expect of a Kirby-less Marvel. Reusing old concepts... this one a villain from the FF (and a great one at that) and repeating a concept (fire vs water) between the two, first played out in 1942's Human Torch #8 (written by Mickey Spillane and Ray Gill).

It's pretty enjoyable... Ayers does a good job as well. 

Page 2: so somehow Sue still has the picture of Sub-mariner that Johnny burnt up in FF #6?

[Prince Namor]

ON NEWSSTANDS JANUARY 1963

Tales of Suspense #40 - One issue after Larry Lieber supposedly co-created Iron Man, he's nowhere to be found as Stan Lee supposedly provides a plot, Robert Bernstein supposedly provides a -script (as R. Berns) and Jack Kirby provides the cover and art with Don Heck inking.