Watching the greatest show on Earth!

 Week Ending 7th April 1973

Lets start this weeks blog off with a little bit of tidying up from last week, I could't place who the "Giant Marvel Mini-Poster" of Namor, the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch was drawn by, so I left it open to Power of the Beesting readers to offer their answers. Alan Russell via the Facebook page UK Marvel in the Seventies was the quickest with the correct answer, it was drawn by Jack Kirby and first appeared as the cover of Strange Tales Vol 1 issue 107 cover dated April 1963 (published January 1963). Rod Tough, a regular commenter on this blog also pointed out it was from that issue. Thanks to you both, a Power of the Beesting No-prize is on the way to you both. 

Also this week another special Power of the Beesting No-prize must go to Mark Jones who got in touch through the Facebook page  UK Marvel in the Seventies, Mark wrote a letter that got printed in SMCW #7 The Web and the Hammer pointing out Peter Parker has said he was "all fingers and thumbs" when it came to sewing, yet he still made Spider-man's costume. Ten year old Mark was disappointed to have not received a No-prize from the editor as that was the real reason for  him writing in but instead got a "naff reply". I hope the fifty years older (but still ten year old at heart) Mark will accept a Power of the Beesting No-prize as a slightly poorer compensation for missing out on the genuine article. 

The Mighty World of Marvel #27

"The Hulk--helpless before the POWER OF THE WATCHER!" this weeks cover for issue 27 states, a little untrue for this week's Hulk adventure as the Watcher only uses his power on the Hulk and his foe Qnax to preserve his own safety and lessen any damage to his home by transporting them both to a remote site. Still it's a dramatic headline for this engaging cover by Jim Starlin (layouts) and Al Milgrom (finishing artwork), Mike Esposito adds the inks. I can only assume that the bottom left panel showing Daredevil in front of the symbolic eyes of Killgrave the controller and the bottom right panel featuring the Fantastic Four vs the Mad Ghost were also drawn by the same artists as the main panel.

The Incredible Hulk "The wisdom of the Watcher!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby, Bob Powell

Inker: Mike Esposito 

Originally published in Tales to Astonish #74

Cover date December 1965

(Published in September 1965)

This is Bob Powell's second week penciling over Jack Kirbys layouts and you can see he grows more comfortable adding detail but allowing the story to flow. I especially like the detail in his faces, they show desperation and pain really well. In the original US printing the credits named Mickey Demeo, one of many pseudonyms that Mike Esposito would use. In this issue his real name is shown.

A quick catch up, the Leader has sent the Hulk to the Watcher's home world to steal a device called the Ultimate Machine, however he isn't the only one who wants it, a warrior from the planet Xantar called Qnax (who we aren't told the name of home planet name or even his own name till many years later,) was also intent on appropriating the device. The Watcher transports both combatants away from his home to a more fitting battle ground to continue their confrontation so that the only damage that they can do is to each other. 

 The brawl takes place on both land and in a large body of water, which gives the amphibious titan an advantage. You can tell Hulks foe is covered in shiny scales but you wouldn't suspect that they were orange in colour due to the green shading give in some of the pages. Black and white with shades of green pages in MWOM may have created a wonderful atmosphere in Marvel UK comics but it could confuse other details too. I like it for its charm, I also like black and white as it shows off the detail in great artwork but I also like colour as it takes the regular to spectacular. 

Through shear determination and brute strength the Hulk defeats his opponent. The Watcher with his oath of none interference allows the Hulk to take the Ultimate Machine back to the Leader. I sometimes question the Watchers interpretation of that oath, he sends Qnax back to his own world but doesn't make any measures to stop the Hulk from retrieving the Ultimate Machine, even knowing the the evil Leader would use it for nefarious gain. He could easily send the Hulk back to Earth, or send the machine away to another remote planet. The Watcher sees all, so may be he knows more than he's letting on.

The Leader guides the Hulk to the Ultimate Machines location, it appears to be a plain looking "goldfish bowl". Once the Hulk picks it up the Leader transports both the green giant and his prize back to Earth.The Watcher mentally contacts the Hulk saying "The Leader believes he has beaten me! So be it! I choose to allow him to keep that belief! But the final gambit has not yet been played!" Once on Earth the Hulk wonders what he could do with the orb, should he smash it or keep it for himself.

The Leader dons the globe on his head, gaining the knowledge of the universe from a million planets, well over a billion years worth. In three beautifully drawn panels Jack, Bob and Mike show that power corrupts and ultimate power ultimately causes the downfall of the Leader. A "goldfish bowl" on the head looks silly but these panels look fantastic. From crazed panic to excruciating pain to total mental shut down, it's stunning. So the Leader is said to be dead, as the saying goes "be careful of what you wish for!" Or another way to look at it "Don't put a goldfish bowl on your head, you might suffocate!"

The Mighty Marvel Mailbag

Michael Mittlestadt from Bedford writes a lengthy letter asking five questions, the first, "is Marvel going to start more British titles"? The editor replied that they can only handle two titles at a time but if the demand was great enough who knows. The second "with the appearance of MWOM and SMCW, will American monthly mags disappear from Britain?" adding that his local newsagent doesn't sell them anymore. The editor says that US comic distribution in the UK is spotty but they're sending more US comics to the Britain than ever before. The third question, having missed Stan Lee's appearance on British TV to promote the launch of MWOM in 1972 are anymore appearances planned? They don't answer this directly but do point out that Stan did the voice over for the Spider-man Comics Weekly TV commercial. The fourth query is "why not expand the letter section to two pages?" Two pages of letters means one less story/pin-up/puzzle page but they won't rule it out. Michael's final question comes as more of a plea, "Please get adults and teenagers as well as school kids to read your magazines" The reply pointed out that if Michael's letter is anything to go by many teenagers "dig" Marvel comics. I hope Michael as an older, but still youthful reader, is still reading, collecting or just plainly enjoying the nostalgic buzz he had from Marvel comics the the last fifty years. 

Vincent Fuller from London, would like to see more of Namor, the Sub-Mariner, possibly in his own strip, but treated as a hero not a villain. The tease from the editor is he'll return in MWOM issues 28 and 29. Finally David Leake I think from Stoke-on-Trent but in the letter page it's printed as Stake-on-Trent! Could that be a village full of vampire hunters? It's good to see that I'm not the only one who makes typing mistakes. Also this makes me wonder is our first letter writer's surname a mistake? Michael let me know if you read this. Anyway on to David's letter, he points out that on the cover of MWOM#10 it says that the Hulk is battling Tyrannus but inside the Hulk takes on the Hordes of General Fang! The editor explains it simply as "another batty Bullpen blooper!" No offer of a No-prize but these early Marvel UK comics didn't go in for that. I didn't spot it at all when I reviewed that issue so David you can have a Power of the Beesting No-prize. A PotBeNoP for short. I bet that acronym won't last.  

Daredevil "When commands the Controller!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Joe Orlando

Inker: Vince Collette 

Originally published in Daredevil #4

Cover date October 1964

(Published in August 1964)

The second part of Killgrave, the Unbelievable Purple Man! story from Daredevil issue 4 comes with a splash page taken completely from the cover of that comic drawn by Jack Kirby and inked by Vincent Collette. Even the original text boxes from that cover are repurposed to re-cap last weeks events and give credits to this story's creators. There are some who bemoan the effect Collette has on Kirby's artwork, I see there points but in some cases his simple inking highlights some of Kirby's strengths, the daring hero, the beautiful heroine and the evil antagonist, it's all there. In many ways I would've loved to have seen a Kirby/Collette version of this story. Stick with this blog and we'll get to those Kirby/Collette Thor adventures soon. 

Daredevil's billy club is used in various ways with various adaptions in this story. It has a secret tape recorder inside of it, it can also release a chemically treated sheet that can roll away like a window blind which DD uses to cover and suppress Killgrave's persuasive emanations at the end of the story. There's a secret hinge that can lock the billy club into an effective boomerang, it can also be used as a brace to hold open a lift door. 

In this second half of the story Daredevil gets Killgrave to confess (caught on tape with the aforementioned tape recorder/billy club,)  his origin so that it can be used as evidence against him when he's brought to justice. We're told that Killgrave was a spy working for a foreign power, who got caught inside a secret army ordnance depot, but during an escape attempt his body was covered with an experimental "nerve gas" which changed the colour of his skin and granted him the power to command men's wills. 

It's again strange why the decision to remove the fact that it was a purple gas that give him his powers and coloured his skin was removed from the British version. But they still made mention of "a wierdly-coloured nerve gas, poured over me--dying my entire body indelibly!" when in the original it was "a strange purple nerve gas,"what's wrong with it being purple, even in the British version you can tell he had a different skin colour. We read comics about green monsters what's wrong with purple men. Speaking of wrong you may notice that I spelt weirdly coloured with an hyphen as shown in the original text seen above. I did think it was to take up the space left by the removed words "strange purple", it wasn't to make up the space as a space between words would do fine, or to symbolise a pause in the text for dramatic effect but that sounds weird when you read it out loud. Maybe the Marvel UK grammar department should offer a No-prize to the reader who spots it first or can think of a good reason why it has one.

  This week's Marvel Mini-poster is billed as The world's LARGEST Mini-poster battle scene! It features a clash of two of Marvel's mightiest titans, the Hulk Vs. the Thing! It was teased about last week but did you guess who would be on it? It was taken from an adapted cover of The Fantastic Four issue 112, cover dated July 1971. Drawn by John Buscema and inked by Frank Giacola. The opposite page boasts an in-house advert for Spider-man Comics Weekly #8, featuring Spider-man battling the man without fear himself, Daredevil. All under the controlling hypnotic gaze of the Ring Master. This is drawn by Steve Ditko and first appeared as the cover of Amazing Spider-man #16 cover dated September1964. Under that another weekly advert for FOOM. Surely by now every Marvel reader who wanted to would have already become a member. Maybe not, because much to my eternal sorrow I didn't. 

The Fantastic Four "The Watcher appears!"

Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inker: Steve Ditko

Originally published in The Fantastic Four #13

Cover date April 1963

(Published in January 1963)

In this second half of the FF's first encounter with the Watcher,  Mad (Red) Ghost and his Super-Apes we get to see the Watcher in full and behold his vast mental, physical, and energy-manipulating powers when he imprisons  the violent Super-Apes in energy spheres. 

He tells Ben Grimm about his home world, that is one vast gigantic computer. Something we never saw in the Hulk's adventure from this and last weeks Hulk story. He goes on to say that "sooner or later both your nations may engage in a war which might devastate your entire planet! That is not my concern! But now you bring your conflict to the Moon--To my domain! I will tolerate no large scale war here! Instead--you and only you, shall fight it out! I have spoken!" For someone who's supposed to have a vow of none interference the Watcher does like watching fights between super powered beings. In many ways there's an anti-war message in what he says. A political opinion that we can all get behind, that escalation of a Cold War would only bring about destruction. It's a sign of the times that the Reds, (or who ever you might cast as the enemy, whether that may be Russia, China, "Bodavia", or Klingon,) Stan who had lived through the horror of World War 2, saw that that kind of conflict would only end in Armageddon. 

So the dead ancient city on the Moon is the battle ground of a conflict between two groups of super powered opposing idealists. 

Jack has a ball drawing the alien decaying city. 

Reed gets immobilised with the Ghost's freeze gun and Sue is the first to be captured by the Mad Ghost. It's worth noting that the Ghost has brought a freeze gun to the party, there's no mistaking that on a supposed science expedition his mind set is one of conquest. This might seem as a lazy plot device making the female the weakest link, but she later shows compassion, when she notices that the apes are very poorly treated. She manages to free them so that they may get food before she works out how to free herself. Later she warns Ben and Johnny of a trap and formulates a plan to circumnavigate it. This sign posts there's more to her than a mother hen and later why she's makes a great leader of the FF. 

The Ghost abandons the Super-apes for a chance to  gain scientific wonders found inside the Watchers home. Unlike when the Hulk entered his abode on his home world in the Hulk story seen earlier in this comic, the Watcher takes action to remove the thief with immediate effect. I guess after all those millions of years watching humans he can spot a bad one!

Not only does the Watcher give the Ghost a hard lesson in life, so does the Super-apes, who decide that they have had enough of the rough treatment at the hands of Ivan Kragoff, in a case of the peasants are revolting, the Super-apes start their own revolution. 

There's a lot of subtext in this weeks story, make of it what you will. But all in all it's a cracking tale.

   

The back page offers you a chance to re-enter the Spider-man record competition with a reminder of the questions and the second coupon you will need to add to the first coupon to go into the draw. I won't go through it again it's all there last week. 

The footer headline ironically teases that you could have a chance to win free football tickets in a new contest next week. 

Spider-man Comics Weekly #7

"Preeeesenting: the greatest battle under the big top!!" Another spectacular cover by Jim Starlin (layouts) and Al Milgrom (finishes) with inks by Mike Esposito completing it. It's definitely a great looking cover. The only bone of contention is the lower panel featuring two Thors! This didn't happen at all in the story. Which is a pity because that would have improved the story no end.

Spider-man "Duel with Daredevil"

 

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Steve Ditko    

Inker: Steve Ditko 

Originally published in The Amazing Spider-man  #16

Cover date September 1964

(Published in June 1964)

This is an amazing splash page and the title is simple but very effective. The one thing that is missing, is the man without fear himself, where's Daredevil?

Well we don't have to wait too long as Matt Murdock accidentally crosses paths with Spider-man as the web-slinger interrupts a robbery.

Their paths will cross again as both visit a travelling circus that has come to New York with a promise that Spider-man will appear with proceeds going to charity. This intrigues  Peter and Matt, who both attend. Peter as Spider-man to gain some good publicity, and Matt to get a closer feel of the young hero's intensions.

But all with the circus isn't what it seems. As the circus is really the Circus of Crime lead by the unique villainy of the Ring Master. Last seen in MWOM #6 fighting the Hulk.

The high top gives Steve Ditko the chance to express the amazing ability of Spider-man, just in case you get lost in the action which doesn't follow the western standard of storytelling flowing from right to left, he's numbered each snapshot of the wall-crawler and text posted the starting point.  

The Ring Master uses his hypnotic hat to entrance both Spider-man and the circus crowd, in an attempt to steal from the mesmerised audience. Of course the sightless Matt Murdock is unaffected so he steals away to change into the man without fear. Daredevil engages Spider-man in an evenly matched fight due to Spider-man's hypnotically dulled reactions in the big top.

Taking the fight to the Ring Master, Daredevil manages to grab the hypnotic master's hat and use it to release Spider-man from his trance. Daredevil leaves to watch Spider-man battle to the finish the Circus of Crime. 

It's a fun team-up between New Yorks most well known solo heroes. Little happens to Peter's private life but that's fine, there doesn't have to be big events every week. This is just a really enjoyable story.

This weeks centre spread, again not in the centre, why goodness knows, it would have made printing a lot easier, reveals the identity of who will star on the free mystery photo. As if you had no doubt already guessed it's going to be the web-slinger himself, your friendly neighbourhood Spider-man! The picture used in this piece is taken from the cover of Amazing Spider-man #68 cover dated January 1969, drawn by John Romita SR, but with a totally different background added. 

This weeks coupon features the Ox from the Enforcers, although I personally think it should have been Daredevil to tie in with this weeks guest star. The opposite page features the usual advert for FOOM and this weeks in-house advert for the Mighty World of Marvel issue 27. This time simply just using the cover rather than making a new collage of images for the advert. 

No Web and the Hammer letter page this week so lets move on to...

The Mighty Thor "Trapped by the Carbon-Copy man!"

Writer: Stan Lee and Larry Lieber

Artist: Al Hartley

Inker: Al Hartley

Originally published in Journey into Mystery #90

Cover date March 1963

(Published in January 1963)

Wow this story is poor. It might be classed as a filler but if it was missed out I doubt anyone would mind. Al Hartley is a writer and artist who has worked on comics since the Golden age with his work published by pre-Marvel companies Timely comics and Atlas comics, producing different genres like war fiction, westerns, detective fiction, science-fiction and romance. He had a long run on Patsy Walker and her spin-offs. I'm not completely sure that the fault with this story lies with him, as both Stan and Larry Lieber must take some of the blame for the poorly conceived plot and dialogue. 

A race of alien shape-shifters called Xartans invade Earth through means of replacing important people in powerful jobs. That's fine but when they do this they start to made weird decisions that make people question them. They replace the Police Commissioner and the New Yorks Mayor which is fair enough, but why on earth do they replace Jane Foster? Later on Thor investigates these strange occurrences and foolishly lets himself loses his hammer causing him to revert to Don Blake. The Xartans duplicate the doctor and tell him the plans. While making a ruse to help them he recovers his hammer and becomes Thor again. The Xartan leader's son Zano, takes on Thor by changing his body into a frozen warrior and later an ancient gladiator, only to be defeated by Thor. The Xartan leader Ugarth, takes on the Thunder God himself by turning his body invisible, but yet again Thor defeats him too, entrapping him in a net and hurling him into space. Leaderless the orbiting Xartan ships pursuit him in an attempt to rescue him. At no point did either father or son take on the form of Thor, which would've made for more of a spectacle.

  Thor tricks Zano and the remaining Xartans into changing their bodies into trees, much like the time Reed Richards hypnotised

three Skrull spies into becoming cows in MWOM#4. Stan Lee was always great at recycling plot ideas. 

Another plot anomaly is at no point are either father or son called the Carbon-copy Man. Why wasn't the story titled "Trapped by the Carbon-copy Men!" instead, which would have made more sense.

As you can see from the pack page Al Hartley wasn't an ideal choice to draw Thor. Don Blake looks far too skinny and his work is too simplistic. This story was the first Thor strip to not be drawn by Jack Kirby. When this story was recounted in Marvel Saga issue 8, cover dated July1986, a comic that retold  the official history of the Marvel Universe with panels from the original comics and new art to form linking material, new Walter Simonson artwork was used instead of the original Al Hartley art. 

On that down note I'll leave you with hope of a more interesting Thor adventure next week. As a teaser there will be more "Sinister" foes for Spider-man to contend with and the Fantastic Four encounter two old adversaries in next weeks issues too.

See you in seven.

Make Mine Marvel.