Sue Storm, everyone's valentine!

 The Mighty World of Marvel #19

Week Ending 10th February 1973

This weeks cover always made me think that the Sub-Mariner was fighting the Fantastic Four on the Moon or some alien planet. Goodness knows why, the back ground landscape does look a bit luna like. I sometimes wondered if I'm confusing this cover with the FF cover from MWOM#26 where our heroes do indeed fight the Red Ghost (aka the Mad Ghost, a tale for another post, just wait seven weeks.) on the moon, but they don't look remotely similar. Granted they are drawn by the same artists, Jim Starlin on pencils and Joe Sinnott on the inks.  This cover doesn't follow the Fantastic Four story continuity in any way but why let that spoil a dramatic cover? It's quite a busy cover, which is part of the norm for early MWOM, they tried to get as much content on the front page as possible. Blink and you'll miss the most important bit. Right at the top above the title logo sits the headline "Inside: Sensational news about Spidey..and FOOM!" Now that's got to grab you if nothing else does.

The Incredible Hulk "The power of Doctor Banner!"

Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko
Inker: Vince Colletta

The power of Doctor Banner! Now there's a Stan Lee title if I've ever heard one! It grabs you by the shirt and pulls you in. It's mostly nonsense really, what power? Yeah OK Doctor Banner does tend to turn into a raging green monster at the drop of a hat but literally what is Bruce's USP? It's a great title and one that would be adapted time and time again, this wasn't the first time this form of title was used and it won't be the last, especially when Marvel UK need a title each week for the second half of a story. Even a simple blog writer might have adapted it for his own use, if you're going to steal, steal from the best! This weeks story is pretty basic Hulk fodder, Banner is still behind the iron curtain and a red Commandant is trying to kill him and his green alter-ego, back in the USA everyone suspects that Bruce is a traitor and the Hulk has to go on a rampage smashing up tanks and planes.

Oh yeah the Leader is in this one too. But only as a sub-plot devise, he contacts the Chameleon and then Bodavian Commissar to gain information on Dr Banner and the Hulks whereabouts. The leader poses as a secret agent for Bolivia but in reality, he's working for his own agenda. Leonid Brezhnev was the leader of the USSR (Bodavia replacing Russia in the Marvel UK universe,) at the time of these stories creation, but Steve Ditko draws a Joseph Stalin looking figure with a moustache and military uniform. As policy in the early marvel UK comics, anything that might reference communism, the Soviet union etc was removed and replaced as to not offend the British readership of the 1970s. Did all young readers in the 70's Britain have leftwing rebels? In general, probably not, but to general Americans British middle of the road might seem slightly left leaning, but enough politics. We read comics because we want to see the world saved and people treated fairly. Oh that does sound like politics, I better get back to my point, where was I? Oh yes Communism/Soviet Union censoring, the Hammer and Sickle symbol was removed from the wall behind the Bodavian Commissar and replaced with a lighting bolt and again on Bodavian tanks and MiG fighter jets. The MiGs also had the Red Star emblem replaced with a lighting bolt. This graphic censorship had already been done before, including in last weeks story, but the sheer number of edits this week is worth noting.

In this issue the Hulk strip gets two full colour pages that are perfectly positioned to feature  the Hulk's mid-air fight with two MiG jets, you can see in the original artwork from Tales to Astonish #66 (US published January 1965, cover date April 1965,) the jets where coloured green. In the UK version a more sensible grey/silver colour was used, that in my opinion looks so much better. I do clip images from digital comics (let's be honest I would love to own the US originals too, but I'm not made of money!) but online and reprint novels tend to have the artwork recoloured, which I do find too bright and unrealistic. Although the original prints might have been that bright, I'm a Marvel UK boy at heart, colour is great but monochrome is more atmospheric.  

But in saying that monochrome is great, here's a the end panel of this weeks Hulk story. Nothing like a coloured Hulk stomping of to battle to make you want to come back next week for more.

Spider-man "Spider-man tackles the Torch!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Steve Ditko

A change of artist this week on the Spider-man strip, Jack Kirby handles the pencils while Ditko finishes it off with his ink pen and brush. Well it does heavily feature members of the Fantastic Four. Its quite a short story that originally featured as a filler strip in the Amazing Spider-man #8 (US published October 1963, cover date January 1964,) where last weeks "The terrible threat of the Living Brain" had been the main feature. It feels like a thrown together filler 'cause the main strip won't stretch to twenty pages or Steve Ditko got behind on Spider-man or Dr. Strange. Either way this story is fun if not a little pointless. Apart from developing the Spider-man/Human Torch friendship/feud relationship it doesn't really go anywhere. In fact at the beginning Spider-man comes across as a teenage brat, by going to the neighbourhood of Doris Evans, Johnny Storm's then girl friend, in an attempt to show her why dating Spider-man is better than the Torch! You might think that this tale follows straight on after last weeks but this story does seem to fit in continuity with Amazing Spider-man #21 (US published November 1964, cover dated February 1965,) "Where flies the Beetle?" in which the Beetle leaves prison and plans to get revenge on the Human Torch by kidnapping Doris, then they.... well you'll see what happens in issue 15 of the new "comics weekly" that I'll talk about later.  

It feels a bit of a half way fix story, Kirby isn't great at Spider-man and Ditko isn't great at drawing Fantastic Four stories either. The one thing comes out of this story is all the male characters behave like morons but Sue Storm comes across as level headed and a likeable individual. She's well deserving of a web shaped heart that Spider-man leaves her.

After a very brief appearance in the Hulk strip this issue the Chameleon gets a feature in "A gallery of Spider-man's most famous foes!" 

It had to happen, the new comic from Marvel UK is... Spider-man Comics Weekly! Why "Comics Weekly" and not just "Comic" or "Weekly" I can't tell you, did one of the American editors think it was a thing? Did it happen in a brain storm meeting where someone just wrote down some title ideas and someone else thought that they sounded good together? Either way that's what it's called, in the future it'll be changed many many times. Spider-man was always the main contender to get his own British title, it was probably in the editors minds from the very beginning. Spidey would get to shine in a full length story every week, last weeks larger than normal story showed that (even with it being edited down to fit,) The web slinger's co-star for this new comic is the Mighty Thor, an obvious choice to build up Marvel UK with, his tales would feature in Journey into Mystery at around 10 pages a month. meaning that there would be less need to edit them down.

Taking Spider-man's place in the Mighty World of Marvel comes in Daredevil! For many a new hero, I think I'm right in saying (I wasn't Ian William Clarke informed me Daredevil did appear in the 60's Power Comic Smash) he hasn't featured in any Power comics from the 60's so if any British reader did know of him it was probably from a rare imported comic. It does feel like a good fit, to me the line up of Hulk, Daredevil and the Fantastic Four IS the perfect Mighty World of Marvel line up.

The date that the new Spider-man Comics Weekly goes on sale is the 10th February 1973 which would come to be known as FOOM Day, well at least that's what we are told it will be. Where we'll be told the everything about FOOM that we don't know! So next week we'll get Spider-man, Thor and the secret of FOOM! 

With only a six pages of Spider-man strip this week we're treated to an extra feature, lasting four pages with "More secrets of Spider-man", the secrets behind Spider-man's webbing, from The Amazing Spider-man Annual #1 (US published June 1964, cover dated October 1964), written by Stan Lee and drawn by Steve Ditko.

It kind of fitting this week with the FF guest staring in Spider-man, that they are used as reference the properties of Spidey's webbing. It's got the strength of the Thing, it can resist fire like the Human Torch, it can stretch like Mr. Fantastic to a limited degree, and to complete the Fantastic Four it can disappear after one hour just like an Invisible Girl. I love these bonus pages, they'll be repeated many times again in the future. 

 
  

I love this bonus too, although it does twist my mind trying to work out how it is physically possible for Spider-man to make these acrobatic moves. Start at the being and follow the movement lines, in which direction is Spider-man going in the first two rotations on the sign lamps? It might just be Steve Ditko's flowing movement artwork or Spider-man's amazing acrobatic skills but I've spent hours looking over that page trying to work that one out. When I really have important things to do!

The Fantastic Four "The Traps of the Sub-Mariner!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Dick Ayers

Continued from last week (I like that intro, now where have I read that before?) the Sub-Mariner has split up the Fantastic Four to each film a scene that will all be edited together in a FF motion picture for Sub-Mariner Studios. Why are they making a film you ask? If you had read issue 18 of MWOM or last weeks blog you'll know that the FF had lost all their money in a stock market crash. Each member thinks that they are on a set and are facing actors, stuntmen or special effects, while in reality they're facing real threats. In Mr. Fantastic's case a real life giant Cyclops. Reed manages to escape the monster and trip him into a deep natural pit.

The Human Torch is up next, against an African tribe, who he discovers have an unusual gift of immunity to all forms of fire due to exposure to a magic potion. The Torch recovers his strength and escapes the tribes bamboo cage with a Johnny's "Nitro-flame" (not very clever that fire tribe chief, he's should have cover the cage in fire resistant magic potion,) and sparks a sleeping volcano into life with deadly results. It's a bit extreme destroying their village and with it their magic potion. There could have been women and children living in that settlement. No wonder the chief is fuming (he's got a great Kirby villain look even if its not very PC.) With the destruction of a village it kind of leaves an uneasy feeling in my aging bones, but I don't think Stan Lee would have made the same choice in his later FF writing, but it is of its time. My younger self never noticed it or care too much about it, after all the chief did threaten to slay him on slight! 

It's time for the third member of the Fantastic Four to face his close up. This time Namor takes on the strongest member of the FF in a fight on a beach. Ben realises that Namor choose that location a the proximity to the strength giving surf. The Thing exchanges blows with the Atlantean Prince and manages to pull him up the beach away from the source of his strength. Namor is always seen as one of Earths mightiest beings but dry him out and my opinion he's just a man in shorts. The tide of the fight is turning in the Thing's favour until a freak lighting strike causes a transformation in his cosmic mutated body, reverting him to his human form. A weakened Namor finishes the fight with a strong right hook.

That just leaves the Invisible Girl. Namor declares that he has triumphed over the other members of the Fantastic Four and proven that he is worthy enough to make her his bride. Now I'm not the most romantic guy but tricking a girl and deceiving  her friends isn't going to win over her heart. A box of chocolates would have worked better. Namor doesn't take rejection well and forces the young girl to see his way, until Sue's teammates come rushing in to defend her honour, before Sue calms the situation down by making Namor fulfil his contract agreement and finish the film. 

Namor is as good as his word and the film is finished, becoming a worldwide hit, earning the money that they need to pay their debts and fund their unique work. Obviously Marvel Studios did co-produce it with Sub-Mariner Studios and not Fox!       

In this weeks Mighty Marvel Mail Bag we hear from K. Bullivant from Lancaster, who's been collecting Marvel comics for years and is delighted that Marvel has officially come to the UK in the form of the Mighty World of Marvel. What a kick he's going to have next week with another comic on the news stands. Donald Peddle from Liverpool who's favourite character is the Thing. Michael Hardy from Peterborough reads American imports but now reads MWOM every week. So from next week they'll all have a decision to make. Will they buy the new Spider-man Comics Weekly instead of their regular comic, or stick to MWOM, or better still buy both! 

Well what ever your choice of comic was back in 1973, or if you bought them all years later you can read them again to find out how good they were, or read next weeks Power of the Beesting Blog to find how good I think MWOM#20 and SMCW#1 are. Thanks for coming this far with me, next week things really do get bigger!

See you in seven!

Make Mine Marvel!