Amazing Spider-Man #4

Cover Date: September 1963

Plot Overview: The issue opens with Spider-Man foiling a couple of crooks about to rob a jewelry store. They claim that they were attacked and that Spider-Man has no proof that they were up to no good. They call for the police and Spider-Man realizes he's made a mistake and leaves the scene. Spider-Man complains that The Daily Bugle articles undermining his work as a super hero.

Later, Spider-Man comes across a police chase and sees a man climbing the building. Spider-Man confronts the man and quickly realizes it's the Sandman. The Sandman demonstrates his ability to become nothing but sand and to become hard as a rock. Spider-Man unsuccessfully until the Sandman knocks him over and Spider-Man's mask tears. He fears being recognized and flees the scene. The Sandman continues on with his plans to rob a bank.

Peter Parker tries to sew his mask up when he sees a special report on the news. The Sandman is Cain Marko and escaped from a prison. During his flight from the police he hid in a nuclear testing facility and was exposed to radiation. The radiation gave him his special powers.

The Sandman flees the cops but needs a place to rest and decides on Parker's school. Sandman enters a room and finds it full of students and the principal. The principal stands up to Sandman and just as things are about to get ugly, Spider-Man makes the save.

Spider-Man still can't do much to hurt the Sandman and tries to keep him distracted long enough for the police to arrive.

The battle continues until Spider-Man finds an industrial vacuum cleaner and uses it to capture the Sandman. Spider-Man turns over the Sandman much to the chagrin of J. Jonah Jameson.

Peter Parker approaches Liz Allen at the end of the issue and almost gets in a fight with Flash Thompson. He backs off at the last second and gets mocked as a coward. Parker leaves dejected and hears the people on the street commenting on Spider-Man. He wonders if he should have his head examined as the issue comes to a close.

My Take: This was a pretty good issue. The fight between Spider-Man and Sandman was really long and fairly detailed. It felt like a hopeless situation for Spider-Man and he found a way to defeat Sandman. The side plots were also really good in this issue. Parker losing out on a date with Liz Allen because of being Spider-Man. Spider-Man leaving webbing in the chair of J. Jonah Jameson. Jameson later sitting in the chair and greeting Parker in his boxers. This had a lot of what makes Spider-Man such a memorable character.

This issue also did a great job of establishing Spider-Man as the underdog. He was against a foe he had no chance of beating. He found a way to win. That's always going to be a common thread with a lot of the Spider-Man fights over the year. He's always going to be the underdog beating bad guys that he has no business beating.

The art was good in this issue. The Sandman had a distinct look and the J. Jonah Jameson look is down pretty well at this point.

I'd give this ***1/2 out of *****

Notes: There were a lot of first appearances in this issue. The biggest first appearance would be the Sandman. He is one of the more well known Spider-Man villains. He switches sides from good guy to bad guy over the years but he stays a pretty consistent player in the Spider-Man books for a really long time.

This issue also features the first appearance of Betty Brant. She will be a love interest for Peter for several years and pops up here and there over the years. She's a big supporting cast member for the first several years of the book.

This one is a retcon but this is also considered to be the first appearance of Jessica Jones now. She's the brunette in the last panel of page 12. She's not mentioned by name and I had to Google where she was in the issue. She's really just a nameless character cheering on Spider-man that was later made more important. Anyways, here's a picture... you decide!

Next Issue: Journey Into Mystery #96

Tales of Suspense #45

Cover Date: September 1963

Plot Overview: Tony Stark enters a race with a car created by his own technology. During the race, his chest plate begins to run out of power and his heart stops beating. Stark crashes the car and is trapped. A man named Happy Hogan comes out of the crowd and saves Stark from the car. Stark has Hogan take him to his hotel so he can recharge his chest plate.

Stark offers Hogan money to show his gratitude and Hogan says he would rather have a job than money. Hogan explains that he's a former boxer that didn't have the heart to finish off his opponents. Stark hires Hogan as his new chauffeur. They arrive at Stark's Office where he introduces Hogan to Pepper Potts. They take an immediate disliking to each other as Stark sneaks off to test out his armor.

The alarm goes off and Iron Man catches Professor Shapanka stealing from the vault. Iron Man captures Shapanka. Later, Tony Stark decides to let Shapanka walk but also fires him. Shapanka essentially vows revenge as he leaves.

Shapanka gets the idea from Stark saying cold feet and develops a cold suit to make himself immortal. Shapanka goes on a crime spree before finally approaching Stark for revenge. He freezes the guards plus Potts and Hogan. Hogan almost catches Stark changing into Iron Man just before being frozen. Iron Man tries to catch Shapanka with a trap door but he freezes the gears and manages to climb out. Iron Man can feel his suit freezing during the fight and decides to make a gamble. He creates a heat ray with his suit that melts the ice on Shapanka's suit. Shapanka surrenders and Hogan decides that he should also be Stark's bodyguard as the issue comes to a close.

My Take: This was a really good issue. The addition of consistent supporting characters immediately pays off as the book has more personality and Stark has more characterization. Happy and Pepper have a good dynamic between them and it has made Tony think about his changes into Iron Man a little more.

The expansion to 18 pages for this story was a huge help here. Everything was able to breathe a little bit. The characters got some time to develop and the story seemed to progress naturally. Sure, the Jack Frost stuff was probably 4 pages of an 18 page story but he wasn't important.

I really liked seeing Stark bring Hogan into the fold and meeting his assistant Pepper and how all three characters are going to interact with each other. Honestly, I don't think this issue even needed a super villain to be an enjoyable read. The characters were able to carry the story that will for the first 10 pages.

Jack Frost as a character is a good idea. He's an actual super villain which has been rare so far in the Iron Man books. He has a power that will provide some problems for Iron Man and his bad heart. And he's generally a good second tier villain to throw out there for the hero to beat in a one shot story here and there.

I'd give this **** out of *****

Notes: This is the first appearance of the villain Jack Frost. He eventually becomes Blizzard who is a consistent Iron Man C list villain throughout the 70s and early 80s. He's actually one of my favorite Iron Man villains.

More importantly than the Blizzard, this issue introduces Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan. They will of course become two of Iron Man's main supporting characters through his entire existence.

Next Issue: Amazing Spider-Man #4

Avengers #1

Cover Date: September 1963

Plot Overview: Loki is looking to cause some mischief to draw out Thor for another battle. He comes across the Hulk and tricks him with a mental projection of TNT on a train track. The Hulk smashes the tracks by mistake and has to quickly save an oncoming train. People mistake his actions and think the Hulk was in fact trying to destroy the train.

Rick Jones and the Teen Brigade try to contact the Fantastic Four for help but Loki intercepts their radio transmissions and sends them to a band that Thor listens to. Thor picks up the transmission as well as Ant-Man, the Wasp and Iron Man. They all head to the southwest independently. Meanwhile, the Teen Brigade finally contacts the FF and Reed says they're busy but that he thinks other people should be able to help them.

Just then, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp all arrive on the scene. Rick Jones explains the situation to them and asks that they help the Hulk if he is indeed innocent. Loki is not amused by the appearance of other heroes and uses his mental powers to trick Thor into leaving the group with an image of the Hulk. Thor realizes it's just a mental projection and that Loki must be behind it.

Thor heads to Asgard as the scene changes to a circus. The Hulk is posing as a robotic act named Mechano. An ant on the scene relays the info to Ant-Man and the remaining heroes head off to face off with the Hulk.

The ants chew up the ground and the Hulk falls into a giant hole. Ant-Man tries to reason with the Hulk but the Hulk just wants to leave. The ants drop a giant steel drum onto the Hulk which enrages him. The Hulk escapes the drum as Ant-Man has the Wasp try to lure him under a net. The Hulk takes out the Wasp with a bellows and captures her. Iron Man arrives on the scene and the Hulk forgets about the Wasp. The Hulk breaks through the net that Ant-Man had used and Iron Man pursues. The Hulk manages to damage Iron Man's power source and he's forced to break off the chase.

Meanwhile on Asgard, Thor has received permission to travel to the Isle of Silence to confront Loki. Thor arrives at the Isle to be greeted by a volcanic eruption created by Loki. The volcano spews these bubbles that can drain a god of his powers so Thor swims for it. Loki greets Thor on land and tricks him into getting attacked by a troll. The troll tries to pull Thor under ground but he blinds it with lightning from his hammer. Loki makes multiple images of himself but Thor blows them away by swinging his hammer. Thor captures Loki and returns to Earth with him.

Back on Earth, Iron Man and the Hulk continue to battle one another. Thor arrives and explains that Loki framed the Hulk. Loki becomes radioactive suddenly and commands Hulk and Iron Man to leave so that he and Thor continue their battle. Just then, a group of ants release a trap door and Loki falls into a lead lined tank. Thor explains that Loki won't be radioactive for very long and then he can return him to Asgard for punishment.

Ant-Man and Wasp stop everyone from leaving. Ant-Man thinks they should continue teaming up due to how powerful they are together. Everyone agrees and the Wasp comes up with the name the Avengers on the spot. The issue ends with them proclaiming that no one will be able to stop the Avengers.

My Take: This book is historic for a lot of reasons. There have been some crossovers before this issue but pretty much the entire Marvel Universe appeared in this issue. Spider-Man was really the only hero that was absent during this book. It feels like the Marvel Universe has suddenly come together in a huge way for this book and it makes a good deal of sense.

The story is kind of a mixed bag here. A lot happens in the 22 pages of story and that's a good thing and a bad thing. I really like how they brought the team together in this issue. There's something very realistic about the Teen Brigade wanting the Fantastic Four and circumstances bringing them a different group of heroes. I also liked the battle between Iron Man and the Hulk in this issue. Loki also made sense as being the first antagonist for the Avengers to face. I don't think say, Namor would've worked as well in this issue. I also really like the team of the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp. I think it's a good mix of personalities and powers and you want to check out the next issue to see how the Hulk is going to work within the confines of a team.

What I didn't like was the Asgard portion of the story. It felt needless and it really secluded Thor from the other heroes in this book. It was really good when they all stormed into the Teen Brigade HQ but the book splits them up almost immediately. I wanted to see them working together, not all wandering off and doing their own thing. It also made the story drag a bit at that point. It just felt like you were reading one book and kind of wandered into a different book.

The art was good in this issue. Everyone looked good. Iron Man wasn't doing any of his weird contortions in his gold armor. It's a Jack Kirby drawn book. So what can you really say bad about it?

This book had it's ups and downs but ultimately I enjoyed it. It was an easy read, I wasn't page counting like I do with some of the weaker books I've read for this. And that's always a sign that I'm into what I'm reading. It has a lot of historical value as well.

I'd give this *** out of *****

Notes: This is the first appearance of the Avengers as a team. The Avengers will be a consistent top team in the Marvel Universe from here on out. A huge number of Marvel super-heroes will have stints with the team over the years. Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp all become the founding members of the Avengers in this issue.

Next Issue: Tales of Suspense #45

Tales to Astonish #47

Cover Date: September 1963

Plot Overview: Ant-Man and the Wasp foil a jewel heist as the issue begins. The open of the diamond is grateful and talks about the master of hypnotism Ghazandi in India before they depart. The Wasp sees a jazz concert and asks Ant-Man if they can attend. Ant-Man refuses at first but the Wasp convinces him to change his mind.

Henry can't wait for the concert to end but Jane really likes one of the musicians Trago. After the show, Targo robs the club manager but Ant-Man and the Wasp stop him. The club manager decides not to press charges and buy Trago a plane ticket to India.

While in India, Trago meets Ghazandi and learns how to hypnotize people with his trumpet. Targo returns to New York and hypnotizes a crowd at concert. He decides to use his powers to get onto television and then he can hypnotize the entire city. He gets on the air and his music begins to effect Ant-Man and the Wasp in the lab.

They shrink down and call upon Korr, the ant, and the other ants to save them. A snake attacks and Korr is killed before Ant-Man can shrink the snake. With their headgear, they aren't effected by Trago's music. They arrive on the scene and Ant-Man realizes he doesn't have the chemicals to become normal size so he'll have to tackle Trago in his ant size.

The Wasp takes out the henchmen while Ant-Man remembers that Trago might hypnotize himself if he plays the wrong notes. He climbs into Trago's trumpet while the ants attack. I'm not sure what Ant-Man does here though. He lasso's the plunger and suddenly Trago in a panic plays different notes and hypnotizes himself. Trago only remembers having played his first gig and goes back to just being a musician. Henry and Jane mourn the loss of Korr as the issue comes to an end.

My Take: I really didn't care for this issue. It was very predictable. For starters, they meet the guy in the beginning of the issue and he talks about Ghazandi and his ability to hypnotize people, so you know he's going to be responsible for teaching the bad guy how to do it. Then, one of the ants suddenly has a name and it was obvious they did that because he was going to die. So most of the story you saw coming in the first 2 pages of story.

On top of that, the Ant-Man concept really isn't working for me. The writers just don't know what to do with it more often than not and you just end up with some really ridiculous stories out of it. Plus, they haven't developed Henry Pym really well and he's still just kind of a bland protagonist to have carrying the bulk of these stories. Jane has made it a lot better but it's still boring more often than not. I'm really looking forward to the Hulk and Namor taking over this book.

The art was okay as usual for this issue. Don Heck isn't my favorite artist in the Marvel stable at this time but he gets the job done more often than not.

I'd give this * out of *****.

Notes: This is the first and only appearance of Trago and Korr.

Next Issue: Avengers #1

Fantastic Four #18

Cover Date: September 1963

Plot Overview: The Fantastic Four take it easy for once while on another planet the Skrulls are plotting revenge. A Skrull scientist introduces the Super-Skrull who has superior versions of all the FF's powers. The Super-Skrull demonstrates his powers to the approval of the Skrull ruler. The Super-Skrull heads to Earth to conquer the FF.

Meanwhile, the FF have headed to a local department store. The other shoppers recognize them and they hear about a spaceship landing while fleeing the crowds.

The Human Torch is the first on the scene and is surprised when the Super-Skrull uses his powers. The Super-Skrull makes short work of the Torch and Reed takes him on next. Reed tries to trap the Super-Skrull but he uses his superior elasticity to escape. Reed tries to smash the Super-Skrull with his sledgehammer attack but the Super-Skrull quickly grabs a giant rock that stuns Reed when he strikes. The Thing arrives but the Super-Skrull is too strong for him. The Torch recovers and manages to stun the Super-Skrull with a burst of fire and Reed uses that opportunity to call for a retreat.

Reed quickly discovers that there are rays powering the Super-Skrull from space. He develops a jammer that if put on the Super-Skrull will depower him. He determines that Sue is the only person that has a shot at putting the device on him.

The FF send out a challenge to the Super-Skrull to face them on a deserted island for a final showdown. The Super-Skrull arrives and unveils that he has hypnotic eyes. He immobilizes Reed, Torch and the Thing during the course of the fight. Sue takes him by surprise and attaches the device. The Super-Skrull chases Sue but Reed grabs her and the Super-Skrull falls into a big hole. The Human Torch traps the Super-Skrull inside of the hole as the issue comes to an end.

My Take: This was a really good issue. There wasn't any Silver Age ridiculousness, the pace was really good and there was a ton of action in the book. This book to me is what the Fantastic Four is all about. They meet a challenge that they can't conquer alone so Reed finds a way to save the day and they work together to defeat the bad guy. This was very straightforward and very much about the action and the resolution to a problem.

It feels like they've really got the Fantastic Four as a concept down. The characters feel pretty fleshed out and their interactions seem well refined. At this point, I open these issues with certain expectations of how the characters should act and they don't disappoint.

I would say this has been the second best issue of the Fantastic Four to this point. Issue 12 with the Hulk was better but I feel that is the standard that all future FF issues will be judged against for the near future.

If I had one complaint storyline wise, it's that the Super-Skrull really didn't make a lot of use of his invisibility powers. That's not a big complaint with the story though.

The art in this issue was a bit of a mixed bag. The Torch and Super-Skrull flying around in flames could be confusing at times. It wasn't always to tell who was who at first glance in several panels. I also don't like the close ups of the Skrulls, their eyes look like teddy bear eyes and it makes it hard to take them seriously. Other than that, good issue with some good visuals in there.

I'd give this **** out of *****.

Notes: This is the first appearance of the Super-Skrull and Dorrek VII. Dorrek VII wasn't mentioned by name that I saw but he shows up here and there until the late 70s. He's not a major character or anything, he just appeared enough to warrant a mention. The Super-Skrull is a pretty big FF villain throughout the years. He's in that second group that you think of after Dr. Doom, Namor and Galactus. He'll appear pretty regularly throughout the entire Fantastic Four history.

Next Issue: Tales to Astonish #47

Strange Tales #111

Cover Date: August 1963

Plot Overview: Professor Kasloff is wandering the streets and trying to figure out how to become a successful criminal. He flashes back to his job and how he lacks the basic criminal knowledge to successful commit crimes. He decides that if he defeats the Human Torch that criminals will agree to work with him.

Kasloff develops a much stronger from of asbestos and creates a suit to become the Asbestos Man. AM proceeds to issue several challenges to the Torch until the Torch agrees to face him.

The battle begins and the Torch quickly finds that his flames have no effect on the Asbestos Man. The Torch throws several fireballs at AM and he uses a nitrogen net to throw them back at the Torch and they explode like bombs. The Torch falls into a trap door and into a liquid that puts out his flames. AM tells the Torch that he's defeated and that he can leave the building now.

AM begins to develop relationships with several members of the underworld while Johnny pouts about his loss. Sue points out that he was relying on his flames too much and wasn't thinking. He needs to attack AM indirectly to defeat him. The Torch sees her logic and heads off to fight AM a second time.

The Torch melts AM through the floor and uses his flames to suck up all the oxygen until the Asbestos Man surrenders. The Torch makes a quip at Kasloff as the story comes to an end.

Baron Mordo wishes to become the most powerful mystic in the world and uses his powers to poison the Ancient One with a potion. Dr. Strange arrives later on an unrelated errand to find Mordo there. Note, both men are in their astral forms for this story. They battle until Strange uses his Amulet to help the Ancient One recover. Strange bluffs and says that his Amulet can lead him to Mordo's body.

Mordo flees back to his body and Strange reveals it was a trap to remove his influence from the Ancient One's servant. Dr. Strange has won the day but hasn't see the last of Mordo.

The Ridiculous: The Asbestos Man as a concept is completely ridiculous. He's a total Silver Age concept.

My Take: The Human Torch story was a fun romp this month. The villain was bad but the story built around the villain was pretty good. I felt there was some good character development with Johnny Storm and I liked the interaction he had with his sister Sue in this story. It was nice to see their relationship get some screen time.

The Asbestos Man himself was pretty typical. Arrogant scientist wants to use his inventions for evil. You've seen it hundreds of times in comics but it was executed fairly well here. As you can see in the picture above, he's pretty silly looking. He served his purpose here.

Overall, this was another fun Human Torch solo story. It had action, it had a good pace to it and they even managed to develop some members of the Fantastic Four.

The art was pretty good for this issue. It didn't feel very rushed or anything. Another good solid entry.

I give the Human Torch story ** out of *****

The Dr. Strange tale was another 5 page backup. It was fun while it lasted and established his main nemesis. The art still is off from what Dr. Strange becomes. I believe the next appearance will have him looking more like the Dr. Strange we are familiar with.

I give the Dr. Strange story ** out of *****

Notes: This issue featured the first appearances of the Asbestos Man, Baron Mordo and an unnamed Hamir the Hermit. Hamir and the Asbestos Man make a handful of future appearances and are never considered important characters. Baron Mordo on the other hand is probably the main antagonist for Dr. Strange over the years. I would consider Baron Mordo to be a solid B level villain in the Marvel Universe.

Next Issue: Fantastic Four #18

Journey Into Mystery #95

Cover Date: August 1963

Plot Overview: The issue opens with Thor using his Hammer to create a storm to end a drought on Asgard. He heads back to Earth to take part in a demonstration of an android that Dr. Don Blake has invented. The demonstration is being led by a Professor
Zaxton. The android is an impressive creation but Zaxton accidently twists too many dials and the android is about to explode. Thor saves the day by removing it from the building.

Thor returns to being Don Blake after showing annoyance with Zaxton's screw up. Zaxton is in his office and reveals his invention, a duplicator. He wants to duplicate humans and wants Blake's help. Blake refuses at first but Zaxton has kidnapped Jane Foster to ensure his cooperation.

Blake helps Zaxton and while Zaxton is testing the improved duplicator he becomes Thor. Zaxton sees the transformation and then duplicates Thor with the machine. He also gives Demon Duplicate Thor a second hammer. The battle is on as Thor and his Duplicate battle it out. Zaxton uses the duplicator to give his Duplicate an advantage. Zaxton manages to trap Thor between a bunch of planes and the Duplicate. The Duplicate throws his Hammers but they have no effect on Thor. He realizes that the Duplicate isn't worthy of the Hammer and had nothing to fear from the start.

Thor easily dispatches the Duplicate and goes to capture Zaxton. Zaxton duplicates himself but falls off an overpass and dies. Thor decides that the Duplicate will be able to serve mankind since it will lack the evil of the original. Thor frees Jane Foster and revisits Asgard as the issue comes to a close.

The Ridiculous: The duplicator created duplicates with the opposite personality of whoever was being duplicated. The duplicates were also under the mental control of Professor Zaxton.

My Take: I really enjoyed this issue. It was a very straight forward story and it had a really good pace. Thor and Blake seemed to also be showing some real personality this time around and I found them to actually be fairly interesting as characters this time around. It feels like they're starting to "get" what they can do with the Thor character.

The Thor character is starting to have a bit of a split personality though. In the early issues, he was just Dr. Don Blake. Now, he says things that seem more like Thor. I wouldn't see the earlier Thor taking about how he loved Asgard so much because it was just Blake's personality. I'm kind of interested to see how they go about phasing out Don Blake as the book continues to progress.

I was a little sad to see Professor Zaxton die at the end of the book. He was mostly a generic mad scientist but he felt like an interesting antagonist for Thor. But these things happen.

I really liked the art on this issue. Joe Sinnott really seems like a great fit for the Thor comic. The characters all have a really good level of detail and it just feels like a Thor comic when he's drawing it. I hope he stays on the book for awhile.

I give this ***1/4 out of *****

Notes: Professor Zaxton makes his first and only appearance in this issue.

Next Issue: Strange Tales #111