In the clutches of the Beesting!

Week Ending 22rd December 1973

Christmas is around the corner and there's loads to do but before I crack on with this week sack full of British Marvel goodness from this week fifty years ago I have to correct and mention a Christmas stocking full of mistakes and interesting titbits from last week. 

Steve Mills from the Facebook group, UK Marvel in the Seventies and Rod Tough from the blog comments, both corrected me in the false assumption that I made were "The unknown origin of Doctor Doom!" FF story was the only new story featured in the American Fantastic Four Annual #2 and that all the others were reprints. As we'll see later in this blog "The final victory of Doctor Doom!" was also a new  strip. Steve and Rod have yourselves each a merry Power of the Beesting No-Prize! (PotBNoP) 

Mike O'Doherty a member of the Facebook group UK Marvel in the Seventies and writer of a letter published in the Avengers weekly #13 as seen in last week's blog was awarded a No-Prize for spotting that Captain America didn't recognise the UN building in Avengers weekly #1, but in a 50's Marvel comic he actually fights a battle in it. Technically that would probably have been Jeffrey Mace (also known as the Patriot,) who had taken up the roll of Captain America in the late 40's  while the original Cap was missing and not Steve Rogers, but let's not take away anything from Mike's No-Price as while on home in the US Mike attended the 2011 MegaCon in Orlando where he meet Stan Lee and got the legend to sign his copy of the Avengers #13, in doing so endorsing the No-Price! Mike retold the story in an article printed in David Hathaway Price's fanzine Fanscene #3 shortly after Stan's passing. It's an amazing story, I'll award Mike a PotBNoP award anyway, but let's face it it's pitiful compared to the one he got from Stan. Mike gave me permission to show the three page article about is trip, in itself it would make a wonderful Christmas style movie, a great heart warming read.

Last week's blog featured a message as seen in all the weekly letter pages  From The Bullpen to you, which could only be decoded by FOOM member. I wasn't a FOOM member but I did decode it, as I like a good puzzle now and again. I guessed what VZBD and ZIITDOO meant NAME and ADDRESS as they looked like a competition form above an address, I picked out common letters and as you lay out the code under the alphabet B to J spelt SPIDERMAN. He's what it said but don't tell any non-Marvelytes.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FOOMERS! BEWARE OF DOCTOR DOOM'S SPIES. KEEP YOUR CODE HIDDEN FROM THE EYES OF NON-FOOMERS. KEEP THE FAITHFUL FLAME BURNING.

E PLURIBUS MARVEL 'NUFF SAID

THE FIRST TEN FOOM MEMBERS TO DECODE THIS MESSAGE WILL RECEIVE AN EXCITING CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM THE BATTY BULLPEN. JUST FILL YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS BELOW AND SEND YOUR DECODED MESSAGE TO:

So it was a secret Christmas competition! I think that was a brilliant idea. Did you decode it and send off for a prize? If you did what was it?

For those thinking I messed up with the decoding E Pluribus Unum is the motto of the United States of American and means "Out of many, one" It's latin and can be found on an American dollar. It relates to the 13 colonies and later 50 states that formed the one nation United States was formed. "Out of 13 colonies came one nation." So Stan must have thought that E Pluribus Marvel, Out of many Marvel, sounded good. Sounds weird to me but I presume that he meant many people make Marvel. Anyway on to the many weeklies from this week in 1973.

The Mighty World of Marvel #64

The original cover for this weeks Hulk story featured the alien Warlord Supreme standing over a beaten Hulk, drawn by Herb Trimpe and Dan Adkins, but this must have seemed tame or weak to a British readership. Instead for the UK version Ron Wilson drew the Hulk attacking the physically transformed Galaxy Master who was menacing the alien Princess. Here she's portrayed with white skin but in the original American strip she was coloured grey. Finishing inks supplied by Mike Esposito.  Wilson suspected that this cover was his work, but couldn't be certain when ask by Jason Schachter, from the Grand Comic Database. It does look very much like his work from that period to me.

The Incredible Hulk "The brute battles on!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Herb Trimpe

Inker: Dan Adkins

Originally published in The Incredible Hulk #112

Cover date February 1969

(Published in November 1968)

The opening splash page features the alien Princess, who isn't named in this story. Her return in the Incredible Hulk #269 (US edition,) cover dated March 1982, published December 1981, named her Empress Daydra, her race was also named the Sagittarians, presumably her title was earned between her first and second appearances. We do learn in this story that the Galaxy Master was spawned by an evil race in an universe that was a thousand universes away and when the all powerful entity had arrived at their world her uncle bowed down in cowardly subservience.

The Hulk takes on the Galaxy Master for a number of dynamic pages. Trimpe transforms the impressive entity into a more practical opponent for the Hulk to fight, although less artistically pleasing on the eye. Pages six and seven of the original American edition did feature the Galaxy Master fighting the Hulk by transforming himself into a number of worm-like creatures, that look more impressive. The Princess, tired of living in bondage under the Galaxy Master's rule heads off to command a rebel force to aid old greenskin. Hoping to curry more favour with his Master the Supreme Warlord marshals his own forces to stop the Princess in the hope that he can become his peoples ruler, firing on his niece's ship. The Galaxy Master levitates the Princess into its own dimensional realm, but seeing this the Hulk leaps after her and fights the evil entity from within, seemingly killing it while rescuing the Princess.

The Princess declares that her Uncle must pay the price for betraying her race but before she can never bring him to task the Supreme Warlord steps backwards over a cliff edge and falls to his death. As the Hulk place is elsewhere the Princess offers to return the Hulk back to Earth in her space ship but it would take half a day to adjust it to the brutes needs. The impatient Hulk can't wait and enters the ship to soon with it's cabin pressure and air at levels that a normal human couldn't survive, just as the Hulk transforms back into the human Banner. The scientist starts to suffocate, will he survive? To Be Hulk-inued next week!

The Marvel Mailbag

The "A message from the Bullpen" column makes news of big plans for MWOM and SMCW in 1974 with loads more competitions and exciting strips. Both weeklies will have a triple line up of strips, one of which is promised to be the return of Daredevil. I can't wait.

But onto the readers letters, first up is Barnard O'Toole from Birmingham who wants to see the X-Men, Conan, the Silver Surfer and the Thing, as well as some poster offers. Not only that but he wants summer and Christmas specials and thinks that a drawing competition would be a great idea. Peter Hagil from Newport doesn't want Marvel to bring back Daredevil. Ooops He won't be happy with the Bullpen message. But he'll be happy to see Herb Trimpe's Hulk strip though as he thinks Ol' Herb artwork has improved loads. Paul Johnson from Middlesex likes the FF and the Hulk but asks who's the most powerful character. Come on Paul it's got to be the Hulk!

Russell Benjamin thinks all the British weeklies are great but wants to see some sword and sorcery strips like King Kull and Conan. Russell is another one who won't be pleased to hear the Daredevil news as he thinks DD is a bore. Robbie Lindsay from Lanarkire has been reading British Marvel weeklies since his friend let him take home a copy of the Mighty World of Marvel. His Dad criticises them but still wants to read them. Still in Scotland we hear from Edinburgh lad Shaun Hanlon who's been a Marvel fan for five years. He points out that Thor is invincible due to the fact that Thor can go back in time to stop people before any events have occurred. Yeah I'm never a big fan of that plot device. Yet another Daredevil hater as David Holdup from Torquay lets his feeling be known. The might Marvel Mailbag letter comes from George McGuinness and he simply says "I think Marvel is getting better every week. Next month with be great!" Well he's not wrong there!

Fantastic Four "The Trap is set!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Chic Stone 

Originally published in The Fantastic Four Annual #2

Cover date September 1964

(Published in July1964)

As I mentioned at the top of this week's blog "The uncanny origin of Doctor Doom!" wasn't the only original strip to appear in the Fantastic Four Annual issue 2, another story titled "The final victory of Doctor Doom was featured. The opening splash page was the same as the one used in this British weekly, except that the title was changed to "The trap is set!" Why change it? Goodness knows, maybe they wanted to tease the Doctor's appearance later, although the editor's note in the text box and panel do give it away! 

After some Lee and Kirby hi-jinks with the Fantastic Four we jump to find Doctor Doom lost in space after events in MWOM #52, with little oxygen left in his mask to survive, he's rescued from near death by Rama Tut who retells how he first discovered a Time Machine built by his ancestor Doctor Doom and his first encounter with the FF in MWOM #42. 

The two villains want revenge on the four heroes but hypothesise that they could well be the same man, making it dangerous if they both attacked the Fantastic Four at the same time and one of them was killed. Rama Tut agrees to return to his own time while Doom to his, where he can formulate new plans to bring about the down fall of the Fantastic Four. Rama Tut would later use this historic encounter as inspiration to build his own suit of armour similar to Doctor Dooms as first the Scarlet Centurion then later the more well known Kang, who has already made his first appearance in the pages of the Avengers weekly #5 

Two more masterpieces from Mighty Marvel with Spider-man "in the clutches of the Kingpin!" and Thor "With my hammer in hand!" from the pages of Spider-man Comics Weekly. While in the Avengers "Four against the Minotaur!" takes the cover and inside a bonus thriller with Doctor Strange "Master of black magic" Both on sale this week in 1973.

Spider-man Comics Weekly #45

   

  This weeks cover uses the cover of Amazing Spider-man #51 by John Romita Sr, with certain colour changes. The back ground becomes a lot lighter than the original, the thugs jackets change colour for no reason, but what does bug me is the Kingpin is seen wearing a brown jacket and not the original white one. It's a great cover but I'm not going to award the cover of the week for that reason. Unfair you might say, well it's my pick. What would yours be?

Spider-man "In the clutches of the Kingpin!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: John Romita Sr

Inker: Mike Esposito

Originally published in the Amazing Spider-man #51

Cover date August 1967

(Published in May 1967)

 

It's a great symbolic splash page you might think as the Kingpin crushes tower blocks of New York, but the big man really did have models of New York on his desk! May be he just liked to feel the power it give him, maybe he was weird or more likely with his criminal endeavours he was also involved in property. Now he believes that Spider-man has retired the only thorn in his plans is Jonah Jameson's editorials in the Daily Bugle that are shining the spot-light where it isn't needed.

The Kingpin orders his men to bring him Jameson so that he can personally lean on him to stop his writing about the rumoured underworld takeover. While one set of men carry out those orders another group are ordered to collect protection money from a set of service stations but they are stopped by Spider-man. The Kingpin has a little talk with ex-con Fred Foswell to see if he can be of any use after his attempted take over of the Kingpin's operation, but is interrupted by two goons. Which gives the big man a chance to show off is strength and control over the underworld.

In MWOM #22 a Marvel Collector Special (No.8) featured J. J. Jameson that was adapted from this panel. (In the following PotB blog Rod Tough informed me that the panel had originally appeared in this story.) This very panel marks the very first appearance of Joe Robertson the Daily Bugle's City Editor. He doesn't get a name check and his only line is to suggest replacing the missing Fred Foswell with Ned Leeds as head crime reporter.

The Kingpin's men abduct Jameson but only after Spider-man interferes enough to slip a spider tracker on one of the kidnapper's coats allowing him to follow the thugs to the Kingpin's offices. To ensure Foswell's loyalty the Kingpin lets slip to a bindfolded Jameson that the ex-reporter is standing next to him, forcing him to forget any chances of him going back to being a reporter. Spider-man enters. Normally Wilson Fisk doesn't get his hands dirty much but to show his gang that he's willing to roll up his sleeves and show them how it's done he takes on the web-slinger. Spider-man learns the hard way that all the Kingpin's bulk isn't fat but muscle and his walking cane and tie pin isn't just for show. 

Knock out gas from the Kingpin's tie pin lays the web-slinger low. Now with Spider-man beaten, Jameson his prisoner, Fred Foswell blackmailed into working for hime the Kingpin holds the criminal underworld in his fat hands. This little story arc is really hotting up. It reads wonderfully well and looks downright fantastic. A page turner and something you really want to pick up next week's instalment for. 

The Web and the Hammer

The "A Message from the Bullpen" is the similar but different to the one from the MWOM Mailbag, instead of a DD coming soon teaser we get an Iron Man coming soon to the pages of SMCW teaser.  Paul MacCarthy from Cork ass some of the silly but also quite honest questions a fan will ask like why if Ant Man can talk to ants why can't Spider-man talk to spiders, or when villains like Doctor Octopus or the Rhino go on a rampage why doesn't some other super-hero other than Spider-man tackle them? John Lockhart from New Zealand replies to Tom Colburn's letter in SMCW #30 asking "how much Hulk can the world take?" Tom says "not two stories"every week. He also wants Johnny Storm to stop saying "Flame on!" and wants a super-hero to have a pet. Will Zabu do Tom? John Guerin RFO from Leeds Asks will the Scorpion return soon. Keith Mackie writes to say that since moving to Missouri in America has had his Grandmother send over Mighty World of Marvel and Spider-man Comics Weekly. Now that's why Grandmothers and Nanna's are great and should never be forgotten. 

Gary Lewis from Leicester reviews of the best of Marvel. Best Scrapper of the Year - Spidey. Best Joker of the Year - Spiderman. Best Smasher of the Year - The Hulk. Best Team of the Year - (That's easy) FF. Dirtiest Crook of the Year - Dr. Doom. Dirtiest Team of the Year - Sinister Six. Best Web-spinner of the Year - (Cinch) Spidey. Worst Newspaper Editor of the Year - J. J. Jameson. Best Immortal of the Year - Thor. Most colourful character of the Year —Spidey. Best Editor of the Year - Stan Lee. Best Comic of the Year — Spiderman. Most Daring Man of the Year - Daredevil. Toughest Enemy of the Year -Sandman. Toughest Female enemy of the Year - Medusa. He offers some runner-ups in his letter but I'll let you zoom in to read it. I think Gary is a Spider-man fan. The High Reader from London is more than a "High Reader" he's also a "High Writer!" who writes an epic. He gets both MWOM and SMCW every week as well as a regular FOOM order. He still reads the two weeklies even though he's read the stories in the US editions previously. There's loads more in his letter but I'll let you read it at your leisure if you want. Abigial Shepherd from Milton Keynes gets SMCW while her brother gets MWOM every week and they swap them to read. Even so he thinks that sometimes the Batttles are a little boring. He says he's a bit of a Hulk hater as he thinks the green brute is a bit of a show-off.  But he does like the Fantastic Four. 

The Mighty  Thor "What evil is this?"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Vince Colletta

Originally published in Journey into Mystery #120

Cover date September 1965

(Published in July 1965)

The third panel on page 29 is reused with Thor's head redrawn so that he's looking in a different direction for this opening page. If you look at both panels TV masts on buildings are exactly the same. Panels with cameos from the new Avengers Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch from the original story have been removed from the part of the tale where Thor is searching for Nurse Jane Foster who unknown to Thor is with a mysterious stranger.

 

Loki is using Asgardian technology to probe space looking for something. He spots a cloud of gaseous helium in space that was once a man. Using Asgardian technology he captures it in a translucent spheroid and sends it to Earth to face Thor. The spheroid is smashed from within to reveal Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man, last seen in SMCW #35 when Thor transmutted the villain into helium. I like the way Kirby draws Creel after he's absorb the properties of the wall, with his disco looking ball! I can't wait for next week's clash of titans.

'

The in-house ad for this week Mighty World of Marvel features an image taken from an up-coming Hulk strip, I'm not sure where it's from but I think it's by Herb Trimpe. Have you got any ideas? The title "The brute battles on!"  for the Hulk strip is used to promote the Hulk strip but for the Fantastic Four strip the original title for their story "The final victory or Dr. Doom!" is used instead of the UK title "The trap is set!" The cover for the Avengers weekly is used again to good effect, more on that soon.

 The back pages of both this weeks Mighty World of Marvel and Spider-man Comics Weekly feature a repeat of British Marvel final Pocket Money competition, giving you a chance to check your answers to the five questions as well as cutting out the second coupon that is needed to enter the contest. 

The Avengers #14

This original cover by Ron Wilson with inks by Mike Esposito and Frank Giacoia is inspired by the cover of the Avengers #17 by Jack Kirby. Ron Wilson's cover is so much better than Kirby's. I like lots of little things about it, Cap looks magnificent, I love that Hawkeye's arrow just skims passed the Minotaur. Quicksilver is in his blue silver costume, which is my favourite costume, and not in the horrible green one. All those little things make it my Cover of the Week.

The Avengers "Four against the Minotaur!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Don Heck

Inker: Dick Ayers

Originally published in The Avengers #17

Cover date June 1965

(Published in April 1965)

Two things that really strike me about this opening splash page, the first is we are entering a period of British Marvel weeklies were the Toner is really heavy handed with the shades of grey, blocking out some of the artwork with messy tones. I think the Avengers weekly suffers badly for it but both MWOM and SMCW have some terrible shading too. The second thing is the Scarlet Witch turns up in her knickers and bra! The age group would average around 5 to 12 years, I feel a bit awkward for my younger self, I wouldn't talk to girls when I was that age, let alone look at them in their underwear. In the American colour edition Wanda wore a light red leotard under her Knickers and bra outfit. I guess a lot of these female Marvel characters awoke puberty in many kids.

Part of this story is that the new Avengers are looking for the Hulk to bolster their ranks. There is a parallel story running in which the green goliath is captured by but later escapes the Leader. As seen in MWOM #22. This insert feels unnecessary in the British version and could have been removed if space was needed, but in a way it does add to the stories charm, charm which I believed this story lacked until I re-read it again for the purposes of this blog.

Cap leads the new team of Avengers, putting them through their paces only to be attacked by a giant robot, secretly under the control of the Mole Man, who hints at the whereabouts of the Hulk. The Avengers follow this lead to a trap set by the Mole Man in the shape of a giant Minotaur. Presumably the legendary Minotaur is another of the many weird creatures that Mole Man found within the labyrinths of his subterranean kingdom. I kind of like the beast although the UK shading does lose a lot of the creatures great looks to a mass of darkness, in the US edition he's seen in an eye pleasing orange colour. This week's cover does blend the two, a sort of orangey brown furred beast, which makes, in my eyes anyway, the ultimate eye pleasing version. Quicksilver gets separated from the other three Avengers, becoming captured by the Mole Man. A nice change, I imagine in one script version they had his sister captured but I'm glad to not see that idea used. On the whole the Scarlet Witch does get portrayed as a quite capable Avenger, getting a better deal than the Wasp previously did. She might be wearing just her knickers and bra but she can kick ass, even taking a big part in her brother's rescue. The Mole Man escapes, the Hulk isn't found but the new version of the Avengers does pass their baptism of battle in good style.

Avengers Unite!

The "From the Bullpen to you" column is different from "A message from the Bullpen" columns seen in the other two weeklies. This one featured in Avenger Unite does feel a lot more Christmassy than the ones featured in MWOM and SMCW, with a promise that next week will see a special seasonal "Christmas Extra Page" to celebrate this wonderful time of year. May be as I finish writing this blog it's getting closer to the big day and I'm feeling less humbug and more jolly. Well onto the lively letters.

Ian Ritchie from Ross-shire want's to congratulate Marvel on the superb new magazine, the Avengers with its glossy covers. William Larsen Ebney from Cheshire is so glad that Captain America has taken over from the Hulk in the Avengers even though he might not be as strong, he is quick, keen and effective. Well William that's just what you need. 

 

Neil Hopkinson from Notts writes that in the Avengers #2 E. Capereo RFO from Bedford wrote a letter in which he states that when Doctor Strange leaves his physical form he shouldn't have clothes on as spirits don't wear clothes. Neil asks does E. have a form of ESP as that letter was printed at the same time as that story. Well two things, first E. was discussing the story where the Doctor teams up with Spider-man as seen in SMCW #23, secondly this is a comic and as much as I like to see the magical portrayed in a realistic way I'm not sure I'm up for naked men flying around all over the place. Simon Furman from
Surrey, could this be the future Doctor Who, Transformers and Death's Head comic strip writer?* He also comes from Surrey! He saved the free transfers from issue 2 on a glossy sheet of cardboard. Martin Lavin from Cornwall says that Doctor strange is his favourite hero with Iron Man coming second. Marvelite & Spideyite Supreme from Middlesex thinks that the Hulk never looks the same in any strip and British Marvels never have enough heroes, wanting to see the Silver Surfer, Iron Man and the X-Men soon. Finally for this week Micheal Boswell from Cheshire thinks that Giant Man and Ant Man could be called Gi-Ant-Man. He also would like to see the Avengers helicopter have a big A on it, Wait till you see the 80's/90's Avengers stuff, there's "A"s everywhere.

Doctor Strange "The domain of the Dread Dormammu!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Steve Ditko

Inker: George Roussos 

Originally published in Strange Tales #126

Cover date November 1964

(Published in August 1964)

After weeks of hearing the Dread Dormammu's name called in mystical chants we finally get see the Lord of the Dark Dimension. It's a classic with Steve Ditko pulling all the stops out with the most wonderful and weird artwork ever to grace a Doctor Strange tale. It's only a shame that the artwork does suffer slightly with the dreaded curse of the heavy toner. In one hand it does make it more sinister and the Dark Dimension does live up to its name but at the same time I really want to see the amazing art. Oh well maybe someone will get me an Omnibus edition for Christmas, hey Santa I've been good this year and mostly hitting my deadlines! 

Dormammu is a brilliant piece of creative work from Ditko. His head is literally on fire! And the Dark Dimension is just the weirdest place you could ever imagine. After weeks and weeks of having Doctor Strange battle Baron Mordo it's been a wonderful change to see the Master of the Mystic Arts face a proper opponent. 

We also get the first appearance of future Doctor Strange love interest, Clea. She isn't named in this story or her relationship with Dormammu but she appears to warn the valiant Strange of the danger he would face if he confronts the evil Dread Dormammu.   

If you never seen this story I won't spoil any more of it, but this is only the opener there's loads more next week. So just grab a copy of the Avengers weekly #14 or wherever else it might appear and enjoy it. It's pure Ditko-ecstasy. A safe and wonderful high. 

Put simply it's just magical.

The colour back page is used beautifully to show in-house adverts for this week's Spider-man Comics Weekly and the Mighty World of Marvel.

*It was indeed the same Simon Furman who wrote the comic strips for Doctor Who,** The Transformers and Death's Head, making his letter seen in the Avengers Unite letter page his first published writing for a comic at the age of 12. Yeah it's a letter but it still counts. Simon also told me he was one of the 500 lucky runner up winners who won a Lunar Model Kit from a Football competition seen in MWOM #29 and MWOM #30. His name was printed in the second list of 300 as seen in MWOM #37. 

**Shameless plug: if you enjoyed the Doctor Who 60th Specials, or even if you didn't you can read my reviews of the three in my Power of the Beesting blog- 60th Who? 

Right, time for more mince pies before I crack on with the Christmas Power of the Beesting for next week's offering of the festive fantastic threesome of weeklies from British Marvel. 

See you in seven.

Make Mine Marvel.