Hoaxes and fishy tales!

The Mighty World of Marvel #8

Week Ending 25th November 1972

After a strong run of fantastic covers by Jim Starlin for MWOM this weeks helping seems a little pedestrian but functional, this is properly due to the fact that, after doing my research I found out that Starlin had only proved the layout for this cover, (possibly due to an increased work load for the in demand artist) while Al Milgrom finished off the pencils and Mike Esposito completed it with inks. 

The first story this week is a belter, don't get me wrong there are faults with it but if you can look past the plot holes and 60's paranoia it's a perfectly serviceable tale. Stan and Jack teases us right from the start with a "to the point" title- "The gladiator from outer space!" A strange craft lands in urban America as the awe inspired public look on, an un-earthly giant opens a hatch and proclaims "I-Am-Mongu!"

The alien warrior requests a challenger to meet and battle with him for the planet. Rick Jones is watching this unfold live on TV and informs Bruce Banner of the duel. Within minutes Banner accepts the challenge, changes into his modesty shorts and steps onto his improved Gamma Ray Projector to complete his transformation into the only being who has a chance of winning. Soon the ready Hulk and Rick have chartered a plane and are heading off to the Grand Canyon to face off with Mongu. Now here's my first problem, how does a scientist and a teenager afford the price of a twin jet plane and a pilot to fly it? Surely Bruce or Rick don't have a pilots licence. Then the jet lands on a flat mounting top close to the alien craft, my second problem is there can't be enough surface area for a runway, but maybe Bruce, as the inventor of the Gamma Bomb was payed extremely well by the US government and could afford a jet with VTOL. I'm fine with overlooking these issues, (and a cardboard axe that could have been made of steel, but the little phoney prop comes later so lets move on,) if it helps to keep the story running a long.

The reveal is that the alien challenge was an elaborate ruse to catcher the Hulk for the purpose of learning the secrets of the green goliath' incredible strength for the insidious use by a foreign power. In early 70's Marvel UK Russians, Soviets, Reds or Communists were seen as prohibited concepts that would upset young British minds while in 60's America that form of paranoia was quite normal. So the foreign soldiers talked about their "Homeland" and other references were changed to friendlier terms. I remember seeing the panel of Boris Monguski emerge from his Mongu armour in an article about "Anti-communism in early Marvel" by Pete Scott, printed in The Mighty World of Marvel Volume 2 issue 13 from June 1984. Well worth a re-read if you have a copy. I wonder if this comic was on sale today in 2022 would the Soviet/communist references would be left in, with the current climate towards Russia and its "conflict"(war) mongering leader! I know that country isn't communist any more, but would any regime by any other name smell as full of sh!t? Political, rant over. 

The Hulk makes mince meat of those reds and tights up any loose ends, quite literally with the belts from the foreign solders. I'm not sure if Stan Lee was incredibly clever and ahead of his time or did he stumble on a plot device where things are covered up from the general public in a X-files way, newspaper reporters are lead to believe that the Space Gladiator hoax was planned by the Hulk, possibly to make him look like a hero and not the fact that a foreign power was operating commando tactics on American soil. Better to believe a lie when the truth hurts.

A Marvel pin up page features the most powerful being alive, but can you spot a mistake in this Jack Kirby spread? Answers at the end of this blog.

   Its worth noting that Mongu the gladiator did eventually make a number of appearances and even battled the Hulk (in his own comic Incredible Hulk #210-211 later reprinted in MWOM #266-271) after making his true first appearance in Fear #14 (March 1973) battling the Man-Thing in gladiatorial conflict. This story would also be printed in Dracula Lives during the swamp creatures run. 

The second half of Spider-man's first encounter with Doctor Octopus starts with our dejected hero at his lowest, needing some confidence boosting as Doc Ock makes himself at home in an atomic research planet. The confidence boost come in the form of his fiery friend/rival Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, as he gives a speech at Peter's high school assembly while he's recovering from a virus that is weakening his flame powers. The simple advice is "never give up!"Peter takes the inspiration and uses his scientific brain to device a mixture of chemicals that will fuse two of the fends mechanical arms together. 

Stan and Steve Ditko wrap up the story very affectively, Spider-man defeats the Doctor with a simple old fashioned punch to the jaw. Spidey uses extra webbing to hold his mechanical arms while more webbing holds him midair like a fly trapped in a spider's web with his feet tided back and a picture a Spider-man face stuck to his chest incase anyone didn't realise who defeat the mad scientist. With the look of that panel I've often wondered why Doc Ock doesn't struggle more to free himself,  he does talk to the guards, I guess that punch to the head took all the fight out of him.  

  

Spider-man meets the Torch in the closing panels to thank him for his words of advice. This is the second time they meet and you definitely feel that they part as potential friends, with may be a little room for teenage rivalry. 

Spider-man reveals what anagram of  ISX EURSP EEHSOR is, did you guess it? It's Six Superheroes! But which six superheroes will grace your free full colour poster when you've collected eight of the ten coupons you might have collected? It shouldn't be hard to guess really, they'll look incredible in amazing full colour on a fantastic free poster when you find out, so no spoilers from me. Another centre spread without a missing coupon, a bonus for me!

We have a bonus page which give us all the secrets of Spider-man's mask and costume, that original was published in Amazing Spider-man Annual #1 from September 1964, although I've seen it many times reprinted in Marvel UK's own various Spider-man titled comics, as well as a UK annual I'm pretty sure. 

In the mail bag this week Roy Calhoun from Dublin ask why the Human Torch doesn't accidentally burn his team mates, to which the editor answers "with practice". Chelsea fan John Williams who lives in Fulham discusses what football position Spider-man would be great at, he thinks centre forward while his friend Joe thinks he'll make a super goal keeper. I think in midfield as a number eight. Jerry Collins needs help, he doesn't want to spoil his comics but wants to put the Marvel Pin ups on his wall, to which the friendly editor replies "buy two copies!" Problem solved! Rick Jones (no not the Hulks sidekick but a Welsh lad from Swansea) worries about his name sake getting hurt by the Hulk and finally Welsh lass, Gaynor Davis from Cardiff writes about how she has to threaten screaming at her brother so that he will share his copy of MWOM. I possibly did similar with my older brother just to look at his copy. I think it did eventually work 'cause he got me in to reading Marvel comics.

"Beware--the Sub-Mariner!" warns the title of this week Fantastic Four story, as Namor recovers from his amnesia to discovers part of his under-sea kingdom destroyed by the surface worlds atomic testing. It's kind of understandable that he is permanently angry with humans and their polluting ways. The avenging son wants vengeance on the human race.

Johnny Storm's method to return Namor's memory is a bit extreme, he basically throws a confused man into the harbour in a severe case of sink or swim, but if his memory fails to return he'll dive in and save him. Before he can do that Namor swims off to witness  first hand the scene of Atlantean devastation No wonder he vows a death warrant on the human race when he surfaces to find waiting at the dockside the  Torch. 

The Sub-Mariner chooses Giganto as his weapon of mass destruction on the human race, that he awakens from its slumber at the bottom of the deep blue sea with his ancestor's trumpet horn (which is later named the Horn of Proteus in another story). This ancient horn drives the undersea beast into a frenzy. Jack Kirby loves creating and drawing strange gigantic monsters, Giganto is just another impossibly, insane creation. A giant whale like creature with arms and legs that can live under the sea but can also survive on land for small periods of time. Research has lead me to believe that the monster is from a race of creatures breed by Deviants (a race who themselves were created by the Celestials as a cosmic experiment,) or creations of Atlantean sorcery. May be they're just an evolution mistake, who knows but I love the crazy fun design. The stuff of legends, a modern day Moby Dick. 

 The Thing comes up with the solution to stop the monsters rampage, he volunteers to carry on his back, a nuclear bomb and walk with it right into the resting beasts throat. Very dangerous as you can imagine, but this modern day Jonah carries the bomb deep into the monster, past the remains of ancient vessels and parasitic sea creatures who live inside Giganto's stomach. The bomb explored with Ben barely escaping.The sea monster is a hardy breed with a thick stomach, as it only remained stunned and no harmful radiation poisoned New York. Stan and Jack played fast and loose with nuclear power, no damage is  done, no one gets sick or dies. Namor takes on the Fantastic Four where he crosses path for the first time with Sue Storm, requesting she become his bride to save his wrath against the human race. 

The story is quickly wrapped up as the Human Torch creates a flame vortex that lifts the angry prince, his menacing sea-trumpet and Atlantean beast dumping them in different parts of the ocean. The vengeful prince makes a predictive vow "I'll be Back!" Many decades before Arnold would, Stan did it first fans. The FF swear they'll be ready waiting when he does. But what's to come next week? Someone called Dr.Doom! That name won't catch on surely? 

The answer to my earlier pop quiz...the Hulk is drawn with three fingers and one thumb on each hand! A bit of lazy artwork there by the artist. Claim yourself a No-prize if you spotted it. See you in seven!

Make Mine Marvel!