The Mighty World of Marvel #11
Week Ending 16th December 1972
Christmas is quickly approaching, but still time for a seasonal themed hot drink with a mince pie and curl up with this weeks MWOM from 50 years ago. My copy has a giant 10 written over the logo, either by the newsagent to inform the paper boy which house it was to be delivered to, or more likely the second-hand price of this issue at some jumble sale, second-hand book shop or car boot sale. Either way it doesn't spoil (too much) the cover whose centre piece is the battle between the Hulk and the Metal Master, beautifully rendered by Jim Starlin and Joe Sinnott once again.
I love the Metal Master, he's weird, wonderful and doesn't really fit in the Marvel Universe (although I'd love to see him in the MCU one day,) but I fell in love with him when I read the alternative world version (Earth-7711) in Rampage Monthly #3 from June 1977, with its fantastic painted cover by Earl Norem. That was a belter of a series, those early issues are truly wonderful. Well worth hunting them down. I loved them so much I've tracked down a good number of the original US comic, The Rampaging Hulk magazine including issue 3 which came out earlier then the British mag in the same year (March 1977) under the Magazine Management Co. imprint.
Steve Ditko takes over the full art duties this week from Kirby, which seems perfectly seamless. Metal Master is one of those weird characters that could only come from the minds of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the design is pure Ditko. It's sometimes said that Ditko did all the work and Lee just added the words, with this story I can easily believe Steve Ditko put a lot of effort into the plot.
Banner's secret lab has remote CCTV to view the military base and top secret project, strange that this isn't found by the bases security, other wise he'd be arrested for spying, he's already under suspicion by General Ross. The change from monster to man and man to monster starts becoming problematic, with Banner's body retaining some body mass at one point and later when the scientist needs to become the emerald giant again his head remains the colour and size of Bruce with the body of the monster, luckily the Hulk's intellect remembers that Banner made casts of the Hulk face to study, so he dons it to hide his identity. Maybe luck, maybe a little weird or maybe scientific curiosity but either way it's a good thing. Later on in the story the Hulks head changes to its correct proportions when a soldier removes it an unconscious Hulk.
Metal Master comes from the planet Astra, whose people can control all forms of metal, to build cities, advance their lifestyle and society in science and arts. Molyb (a name we never find out till later stories) judged as a criminal on his world, knows that on other worlds he could become a ruler. Metal rich Earth would make an ideal world to fulfil his desire. Metal Master's powers aren't like Magneto's, he can mentally control metallic substances at an atomic level. This story also makes the debut of Rick Jones's Teen Brigade, a club of like-minded teenagers who use ham radio to help Rick and the Hulk.
Mail Bag again, John Cretells a long time American Marvel comic reader from Surrey, still asks if the Hulk a super-hero or super-menace and will other characters be joining Hulk, Spider-man and the FF in MWOM? Steven Johnson has started up a "Helpers of the Hulk" gang in Stanmore Middlesex. Richard Samson from Devon cheers the "truly exciting unusual stories", so different to "ordinary" racing drivers or footballers type stories in other comic. Janice Waters from Luton thinks MWOM is "FABULOUS"!
Sue Storm looks fabulous too in this weeks Marvel Pin Up Page! Drawn by Jack Kirby and taken from FF#10 (US).
Stan Lee has always said that the readers are the true editors of Marvel comics. This issue it goes a big way to prove it with "The Ultimate Survey". I imagine that this might have come from Pippa M. Melling the UK editor at this time. Stan looks suitably like a 70's Stan Lee with big tie, chequered shirt, 70's moustache, cigar in mouth and what definitely looks like a wig. Some questionable artwork on this page by the artist. Mr. Fantastic, fair enough but Spider-man's feet look completely in the wrong place.
My answers to the questions are...
The BEST Marvel character.....Spider-man.
The WORST Marvel character.....General Ross (is he thick or what?)
I'd like to see much MORE of.....Spider-man.
I'd like to see lots LESS of.....Hulk (he really does hog this comic, more room for other characters please. At least that's what I would have said back then, maybe not as much now)
This is what's WRONG with Marvel.....Needs more weekly comics.
This is what's RIGHT with Marvel.....Great characters and stories.
Even though Marvel's my favourite comic week, I also read (when nobody's looking).....Any thing from my brothers comic collection (don't tell Andrew).
I was way too young to be able to write then so you'll have to imagine that's what I would have written.
Part three of Spider-man's fight with the Sandman that was originally from Amazing Spider-man #4, but this splash page comes from a pin up from issue 20 of that comic with text adjusted to make the jump from last weeks to this.
Spider-man manages to defeat his foe by tricking Sandman to change into his loose sand form instead of the rock hard sandstone form, so that he can use an industrial vacuum cleaner and hoover him up! Pretty strong those hoover bags in the Marvel Universe, it manages to contain the criminal. To be fair Spider-man does say the bag his made of canvas and I suppose that in his loose sand form he wouldn't have the space to reorganise his molecules into the correct order. Marvel science/logic at its finest. Then Peter sets up his automatic camera to take fake shots of Spider-man "in full fighting" mode with Sandman to sell to Jameson, even he has to admit it's stretching ethical practice.
Spider-man wins the day by out thinking the villain, makes some money too by selling the pictures to the Bugle and thinks he's now finally got time to take out Liz Allan on date after all, but never is the road smooth for a teenager. He gets rejected by Liz for cancelling his date with her when Spider-man needed to fight Sandman instead. He gets teased by Flash Thompson for missing out on dating Liz, teased again when he stops himself from scrapping with Flash incase he loses his temper and pulverise the bully. Then he becomes crestfallen when he overhears what people in the street think about Spider-man. Stan and Steve really milked the teenage troubles plot. They took big risks with that, but everyone can relate to teenage angst, we all love an underdog.
Answers to last weeks "Mighty Marvel Mistake Game", I spotted 18 but this week the editor informs us there was 24 mistakes! I really must try harder.
A pin up of Sandman from the Amazing Spider-man Annual #1 1964 by Steve Ditko and another puzzle page produced especially for the British weekly, "Will the REAL Spider-man stand up?" It's a tricky one, you count the legs on the spider emblem on his chest, you check the webbing on his costume and before you know it you're not sure what's meant to be drawn or not. I guess we'll all find out next week.
"The secrets of Spider-man!" from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, again from Amazing Spider-man Annual #1 1964. That comic book must have been jam packed with goodies. Note when comparing Spider-man's strength with other heroes Thor, Hulk and the Thing mentioned even though Thor hasn't shown up in the MWOM yet, maybe a teaser for what's coming next in February 1973. (Yeah I know that Thor strips were printed in Power Comic's Fantastic comic late 60's in the UK, but let's pretend we haven't seen or read them.)
The final part of Doctor Doom's first encounter with the Fantastic Four, Doom is true to his word returns the three male adventures back to present but he becomes angry to discover that his present from the past is only BlackBeards treasure chest filled with worthless chains and not the powerful gems that once belonged to the ancient magician Merlin. He traps Johnny, Reed and Ben in a cell then removed all the oxygen to slowly asphyxiate them. Luckily Doom has forgotten the "weakest" member of the Fantastic Four, who turns invisible and makes her escape, while still tided up she manages to short circuit the control panel, causing the ensuing blast knock out the Doctor, then she locates the air tight cell that holds her partners and finds the hidden switch to open the cell door. Let's be honest she's one smart cookie.
With Doom's plans foiled the evil sovereign leader makes his escape with the aid of a smart jetpack, every overlord should have one. The Torch can't catch up with him as his flame weakens, and anyway Stan and Jack have run out of space in this instalment. Next week we are teased "Who are...the DIABOLICAL DUO??" Not sure who they maybe, even though there might be some clues on the last panel but one things for sure we'll find out who next week.
See you in seven.
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