Strange Tales #113

Cover Date: October 1963

Plot Overview: Johnny Storm has a date with  Doris Evans and arrives in style as the Human Torch. Doris isn't impressed at all and constantly complains about Johnny's "Flaming On". Johnny is torn on Doris. He appreciates her liking him for him but the glory hound in him is not pleased with the prospect of being a normal person. While on their date, her father gets into an argument with the gardener Samuel Smithers and fires him.

Smithers has been experimenting and trying to increase the I.Q. of plants. A freak accident suddenly makes his device work. He decides it's time to get revenge on Mr. Evans for firing him. Smithers dubs himself Plantman and robs the jewelry store that Mr. Evans works at. He leaves a watch behind so that the police suspect him.

Johnny promises to help Doris out and later encounters Plantman. Plantman uses the dew on the various plants to put out the Torch's flames. He then has the plants hold the Torch captive until he escapes. Johnny was beaten but he vows to win the next time he encounters Plantman.

Plantman takes over a local park and starts his plans of world domination. The Torch hears of the events and arrives on the scene. Plantman again manages to dose the flames of the Torch but this time Johnny has one last ace up his sleeve. He creates a giant fireball that wilts the plants in the area. The plants turn on Plantman for getting them into this situation. The Plantman flees and vows revenge.

Doris thanks Johnny and then complains about his "Flaming On" as he flies away as the Human Torch.

My Take: This issue was a really quick read for some reason. Sometimes, these older books can feel like a real chore to get through with all the text. This one felt like there was a little less text than normal. It made it a more enjoyable experience that's for sure.

The story was competent. It felt very monster of the week to me. Your standard bad guy gets powers and gets beaten by the hero. Plantman himself is a standard archetype of villain. He actually looks a lot like the Shadow in this book, only with green clothes. They give him a more super villain kind of getup later on.

This issue also continues the trend of introducing some villains with a little staying power this month. Rama-Tut, the Porcupine, Crimson Dynamo and even Molto the Lava Man make some repeat appearances for Marvel throughout the 60s and into the 70s. I said it a few issues back but it's really nice to see Marvel introducing some super villains into the fold instead of having the good guys beat up on generic Communists all the time.

This was a pretty throwaway story though. It was a fun and quick read but I doubt I'll remember it a couple of weeks from now. It was more there to fill up space for a month. Don't mistake that as bad though. It was a competent story and I've easily read worse and will probably read worse.

The art was rock solid in this issue. Nothing looked terrible. The trees and plants attacking the Human Torch didn't look as ridiculous as it could have looked. There were some good backgrounds in this issue too. There always seemed to be something behind the characters. I noticed every little blank backgrounds throughout the issue.

I give this ** out of *****.

Notes: This issue marks the first appearances of Doris Evans and Plantman. I believe Doris Evans will hang around as a sort of love interest for the Human Torch for a little while. Plantman is another one of those C list villains that shows up off and on again. He'll eventually get hired by Count Nefaria and form a team with the Eel, Porcupine, Unicorn and Scarecrow. That team up is a favorite of mine and that happens in  X-Men #22. Unfortunately that's in the far distant future but it's something to look forward to. I consider him to be another classic low level villain though.

Next Issue: Strange Tales Annual #2

Journey Into Mystery #97

Cover Date: October 1963

Plot Overview: Thor saves a pilot from a plane as the issue opens. The media swarms him after the daring rescue and Thor takes off. Thor muses that he must not let anyone near him for they might find out his secret identity as Dr. Don Blake.

Thor once again becomes Don Blake while on the streets a rumor of a Lava Man are being reported. Blake enters his office and tells Jane Foster that he has something to tell her. Blake changes his mind and Foster bemoans the fact that Blake is such a coward.

After Jane leaves, Blake becomes Thor and asks Odin's permission to marry Jane. Odin denies his claim. Thor sulks as rumors spread further of a Lava Man sighting. Loki is also watching from above realizes that he's the one that created the Lava Man.

Jane tells Don  Blake the next day that she is taking a job with another doctor. She reveals that she knows Blake's feelings for her but she can't marry such a coward. Blake cannot stop her due to Odin's decree and Jane Foster walks out of his office.

The Lava Man enters the city and claims it for his people. Thor appears on the scene and declares that his heart is ready for battle. The Lava Man goes underground and starts creating small eruptions but Thor throws his hammer under ground and forces the Lava Man back to the surface. The Lava Man traps Thor in a pillar of dried lava but Thor manages to break free. The Lava Man turns himself into a giant rock but Thor creates a giant whirlwind and uses it to throw the Lava Man back into the volcano. Thor seals off the volcano and ends the threat for this issue.

Don Blake returns to his office and finds Jane Foster and her new employer Dr. Bruce Andrews there. Blake makes a final plea but Jane rejects his offer and leaves. Dr. Don Blake and Thor stand defeated as the issue comes to a close.

This issue also features an Asgard backup. It briefly tells of the Frost Giants and how Odin's family came about. It promises to tell more stories of Asgard in future issues.

My Take: What can I say, this was a great issue of Journey Into Mystery. It felt like they finally figured out how to make the character interesting in his own right. They really played up the duality of being a human and a god of Asgard in this issue and it really worked. They also went and made a major change in the dynamic by having Jane Foster quit and they stuck with that change at the end of the issue. It was really interesting to read something from the Silver Age and see a big status quo shift like that.

This issue did read very different from the previous issues of Journey Into Mystery. Thor and Blake have distinct personalities from each other for the first time. When Thor is out, he talks more like Thor now. Before, he always sounded like Don Blake. Both Thor and Blake seem to have better embraced their ties to Asgard in this issue. Before, there always seemed to be some level of distance between the two. Jane Foster also felt to be written a little differently in this. Before, I would say she had maybe a passing interesting in Blake but she seemed to share his feelings in this issue. I know they did that for dramatic tension so it isn't a huge deal.

These older comics tend to be a clunky read but you really felt for Blake/Thor in this issue. They really communicated his feelings of hopelessness and helplessness in this issue. He goes out and defeats a super powerful foe and then a few minutes later can't stop the woman he loves from walking out of his life. There have been some solid issues in these early Marvel tales but I really feel like Stan Lee captured a brief moment of magic with this issue. There was just an emotional power to this issue that made it something more than most of it's counter-parts from this era.

The Thor comics haven't been my favorite of this project so far. I feel like I've gone through the motions with some of them. This one really caught me by surprise in a good way. It's the first time since Journey Into Mystery #83 that I've been eager to get to the next issue and see what happens next. I really want to see where they go next with the Blake/Foster relationship.

Jack Kirby also made his return for this issue and the art looked really good. Molto the Lava Man was really cool looking and the battle with Thor was nicely drawn as well. His art really added to the emotion of the various scenes throughout the book as well.

I give this **** out of *****.

Notes: There were a lot of first appearances in this issue thanks to the Asgard backup. The most important introduction in this issue is Surtur. He'll be a villain for Thor as the years progress and a nasty one by the looks of him. This issue also features the first appearance of Molto the Lava Man. He's not an important character moving forward. I know he appears in Avengers down the road and he might make a handful of future appearances in Thor. But I'm pretty sure he'll be done as a recurring character as the 70s open up. This book also featured the first appearance of Asgardians Bor, Buri, Ve and Vili. None of them are very important characters. The Frost Giant Ymir also makes his debut here and he's also not very important going forward.

Next Issue: Strange Tales #113

Amazing Spider-Man #5

Cover Date: October 1963

Plot Overview: Peter and the gang watch a tv report by J. Jonah Jameson that denounces Spider-Man as a menace to society. Peter takes the opportunity to conceal his identity and speaks out against Spider-Man. This draws harsh words from Flash Thompson and Peter leaves.

Meanwhile, Dr. Doom is in town after his latest defeat at the hands of the Fantastic Four. It replays the final scenes from Fantastic Four #17 in a really nice piece of continuity. Dr. Doom uses a spider to call to Spider-Man via his Spider Sense.

Spider-Man hears the call and comes to Dr. Doom. Doom offers Spider-Man a chance to team up with him. Together he thinks they'll be able to defeat the Fantastic Four. Spider-Man entertains the thought for a second before declining. He lashes out at Doom with his webbing but it ends up just being a Doombot. The real Dr. Doom appears and springs a trap door that Spider-Man easily evades. Doom fires at Spider-Man with his Finger Blaster until Spider-Man escapes through the window.

A brief time later, Flash Thompson decides to pay Peter Parker back for what he said about Spider-Man. He dresses as Spider-Man and means to surprise Peter Parker. Unfortunately for him, Dr. Doom is in the area. He has developed a sensor that works off of Spider Sense. Because Flash is so close to Parker, Doom mistakes him as Spider-Man. Doom easily captures Flash and heads back to his HQ.

Doom takes over all the television stations and threatens to kill Spider-Man unless the FF disband and surrender to him. Peter sees this and heads off to rescue Flash. Aunt May doesn't want him to go out so Peter pulls the master fuse out of the fuse box so that he has to leave the house.

Spider-Man tracks down Doom in an abandoned warehouse and sneaks in through a vent. Spider-Man's first move is to jam Doom's Finger Blaster with webbing. Doom tries a variety of other traps but Spider-Man manages to thwart them. Doom's last ploy is a disintegrator ray but Spider-Man also manages to avoid that trap. Doom resorts to a physical attack and seems to have Spider-Man reeling when he notices that the FF have arrived on the scene.

Doom flees the scene with the odds against him and Spider-Man makes an exit when he realizes that Aunt May will be worried. The FF arrive and find Flash Thompson dressed as Spider-Man. The Thing is not amused by finding a faker while Reed notices the webbing and comments that the real Spider-Man wasn't there.

Later on, JJJ admonishes Parker for not getting any pictures while Betty Brant admits to thinking he's wonderful. Peter is surprised by this revelation and later runs into Flash. Flash is bragging about his adventure and all of their classmates are impressed by his tall tale. Peter is not amused as the issue comes to a close.

My Take: I have mixed feelings on this issue. On the one hand, it was a really well crafted story and had some really good character development for a Silver Age issue. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of Spider-Man facing off with Dr. Doom. I feel like they aren't on the same level as far as threat level. I see Dr. Doom as more of a global level threat while I tend to see Spider-Man as a very street level kind of hero. It feels like Spider-Man would be out of his league against Dr. Doom. To the credit of this issue, they did communicate that Spider-Man was in over his head. He didn't really win or lose against Doom in this issue, he really just held him off long enough for the FF to arrive on the scene.

The FF again appeared in Spider-Man. That's the third time in 5 issues. That really makes it feel like they live in the same universe and adding Dr. Doom to the mix further creates a shared universe. I really liked how they did a flashback to the end of Fantastic Four #17 as it created a sense of continuity. That seems like a small matter today, but in 1963 this was revolutionary. You weren't seeing this kind of storytelling in DC Comics at the time. This really felt like a natural progression of time in the Marvel Universe. They've been toying with the shared universe concept since the Hulk and Thing fought in Fantastic Four #12 and now it feels like they're going full speed ahead with the idea.

Betty Brant also drops a big hint that she has some interest in Peter Parker. That was the first time I ever noticed that she became his love interest so quickly. I always thought that happened a dozen issues down the road or so. It will be interesting to see their relationship develop over the next several issues though.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story in this issue. Spider-Man and Dr. Doom had a pretty lengthy brawl. It also had all of the side stories you would want from an early Spider-Man tale. Flash Thompson being a bully, Peter having to work around Aunt May to go be Spider-Man, a Parker love interest and JJJ trashing Spider-Man as always. Amazing Spider-Man continues to be a really good book with every issue.

I give this ***1/4 out of *****.

Notes: Amazing Spider-Man is now being released on a monthly schedule.

Next Issue: Journey Into Mystery #97

Tales of Suspense #46

Cover Date: October 1963

Plot Overview: Anton Vanko has developed a suit for Communist Russia. The suit gives him control over all things electrical. He can use the suit to short circuit electrical equipment or to directly control it. He puts on an impressive display for his leader and is sent off to America to sabotage some of Tony Stark's weapons.

Stark is testing a new rocket and decides to watch the test as Iron Man. The rocket goes out of control thanks to the Dynamo and Iron Man is forced to save the day. The Dynamo continues to sabotage various Stark plants over the next few weeks and the U.S. government starts to lose faith in him. There are murmurings that Stark might be a Communist himself and they talk about pulling all his government contracts.

The Dynamo decides that he's had enough of sabotage and wants to face Iron Man head on. He shorts out the electricity at Stark's main facility and the battle is on. Iron Man immediately realizes that the Dynamo controls electricity and put up a shield to save himself. Iron Man takes to the air where the Dynamo can't hurt him and traps him with a bunch of uprooted trees.

Iron Man then picks up the Dynamo and threatens to drop him in the water which gets the Dynamo to surrender. Iron Man plays a fake conversation from Russia that convinces the Dynamo to defect to America. Stark later hires him to head up electrical research.

My Take: Fun issue this time out. The Crimson Dynamo and his electrical abilities were kind of unique as far as villains I've seen in the past. He didn't so much shoot electrical beams as he caused short circuits or took over other things. It felt like someone really thought outside of the box when they worked on him.

I really enjoyed the plot of this story. It was nice to see Iron Man squaring off with another guy in a suit for I think the first time in a series. It was also nice to get an actual fight at the end of the book. It was one sided but a lot of times in these Silver Age books you don't really get a fight. A lot of times you get a gimmicky way to defeat the villain and a really brief encounter. So  I always get a kick out of an issue that gives me a fight of some kind.

The art on this issue was okay. The Iron Man suit fared a little better than usual as he wasn't contorting in weird impossible ways. The Crimson Dynamo suit was downright terrible though. I added a picture to this post so you could see how bad it was. It wasn't quite as bad as the Porcupine from the last issue of Tales to Astonish but you would have to try and look as bad as the Porcupine did. Just for the sake of comparison, I added a picture of the Porcupine as well.

I wanted to take this issue to go on a brief tangent. The last few months at Marvel has really seen the focus shift towards super villains and that makes me happy. During a lot of the early issues it was just Thor or Iron Man taking out a Communist threat or some one shot sci-fi threat. That's fine here and there but it really makes you yearn for some real baddies after awhile. In just the past couple of months we've been introduced to Jack Frost, the Super Skrull, Sandman, Doctor Octopus and the Eel. There's varying levels there but those are all super villains that had some staying power with multiple appearances over the years. It's nice to see them building a rogue's gallery for the Marvel Universe.

I give this issue *** out of *****.

Notes: This issue features the first appearance of the Crimson Dynamo. 4 or 5 guys take up the Dynamo armor over the decades at Marvel but he stays a fairly constant presence in the Iron Man titles. I would call him a strictly B list villain but I would also include him in Iron Man's rogue gallery. He definitely has a place in the lore of the Iron Man books.

There are also some other minor first appearances here. Senator Harrington Byrd makes a few more appearances in the Marvel Universe so I included him.

Next Issue: Amazing Spider-Man #5

Tales to Astonish #48

Cover Date: October 1963

Plot Overview: Alexander Gentry has invented a new suit for the military. He decides that he's tried of not getting the fame and glory for his creations. So he becomes the Porcupine and wants to become the king of crime.

Meanwhile, Hank and Jan attend the grand opening of a bank that is using security measures that Pym created. The opening is disrupted by the Porcupine who uses gas to knock out the crowd as he robs the vault. Jan passes out and Hank gets them to an office and breaks open a window. The Porcupine escapes and Hank takes the feverish Jan back to their HQ. Hank uses his ants to track down the Porcupine and finds him at a local army base.

Ant-Man manages to sneak in but gets captured by the Porcupine. The Porcupine leaves Ant-Man in water and leaves him to die. Meanwhile, Jan recovers and realizes that something is wrong. She tracks down Ant-Man and saves him from the water. They devise a plan to clog the Porcupine's suit with cement. The Wasp attacks and then they cover the Porcupine in cement. With his suit jammed, Ant-Man uses his lasso and throws the Porcupine out of a window. The Porcupine flees promising to make his suit even stronger.

Jan complains that Hank was treating her like an invalid earlier and he says she should go back to bed, much to her great annoyance.

My Take: This was a solid issue this time out. Nothing too memorable but it was a fairly fun read. It was nice to see the Wasp play the role of rescuer this issue. It was a nice change of pace. This issue was also your typical Silver Age story. The heroes find some way to take out the villain and win the day. I took this format and accomplished it in a solid way.

The art was pretty hit and miss with this issue. I blame that mostly on the Porcupine's costume. I think most artists would have trouble making such a ridiculous costume looking good consistently. It really is one of the worst creations that Marvel has thought up to this point in their history. I hope they figure out how to streamline the suit a bit after this. It really was an eyesore.

Despite, how awful the suit was, I do like the Porcupine. I love obscure villains from the 60s and 70s and he's a prime example of one. He was just a fun stupid little villain to take up everyone's time for an issue. He did his job well in this issue.

I give this **1/2 out of *****.

Notes: This issue features the first appearance of the Porcupine. He kind of becomes a notable C-list villain among the Marvel fanbase. He's easily the most well known as far as obscure Marvel characters from the 60s and 70s. He eventually joins up with guys like the Eel in Count Nefaria's group of villains.

Next Issue: Tales of Suspense #46