The power, the hero and a Christmas wish!

 Week Ending 29th December 1973

Tis the season to be jolly and if you were a kid in 1973 this week's three Marvel weeklies would make the time waiting for Father Christmas to enter your chimney and deliver the goods every child wanted fly by quicker than a reindeer pulled sleigh. So let's take a merry trip down memory lane to the Christmas week in 1973.

The Mighty World of Marvel #65

This Ron Wilson/Mike Esposito original cover is a homage to the original Incredible Hulk #113 cover by Herb Trimpe. I'm not sure why they didn't use the Trimpe cover which was as good and possibly better than the Wilson version. But as the headline says it was a good way to start your pre-Christmas reading with "A happy Christmas to all Marvelites!" 

The Incredible Hulk "When falls the shifting sands!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Herb Trimpe

Inker: Dan Adkins

Originally published in The Incredible Hulk #113

Cover date March 1969

(Published in December 1968)

We join a panicking Bruce Banner as he struggles for breath inside an increasing pressurised cabin of a star ship whose course is back towards Earth after the events in last week's issue. But the keen mind of Banner deduces that the ship is powered by gamma energy and that unleashing some of that energy will kick start the doctor's transformation into the Hulk, which of course it does enabling him to survive the journey home. Three pages from the original story that introduced the Sandman, recalling his previous battle against the Fantastic Four were removed as that story had yet to be published in British Marvel. Wait till issue 129 of The Mighty World of Marvel is published on the week ending the 22rd of March 1975 to see those events. If you've got a copy of the Fantastic Four Pocket Book #9 from December 1980 you can see that story in its second UK outing. (For US readers they would have seen it in the Fantastic Four #61-63. Also reintroduced in those missing pages was Betty Ross and her father, General Ross.

In the UK version the Sandman is quickly introduced leaving everyone no time to ask why are the two opponents square off against each other. Part of the plot lost to the British readers is that the Sandman wants to steal an experimental Space Warp Ship from a US military base, with plans to use it to reach the Negative Zone so that he can reunite with his ex-partner Blastaar. Without us Brits having any knowledge of the Negative Zone, or  who Blastaar is, those events are removed and the Space Warp Ship is simply named a ship. One thing that could have been changed but wasn't is that when the Hulk recognises the military base he recalls that "Betty Brant" lives there, not "Betty Ross"! It's quite a big slip-up by Stan in the US edition but you would have thought someone would have noticed it and made the correction. The Sandman tricks the Hulk into attacking the base but once the green brute sees Betty he helps save it. Another page is removed to save space but ultimately the Hulk defeats the Sandman leaving it open for a rematch next week.

All three festive weeklies offer this centre spread recounting what a fantastic year British Marvel had in 1973. Now is as good a time as any to look back over the year. In January you first heard the word FOOM. February marked Spider-man's leap into his own weekly comic. March saw your chance to win a Spider-man LP record and April a chance to win a Chopper bike. May offered UK readers an opportunity to buy your very own Hulk t-shirt. Sunshine in June meant that everybody was out and about making it the perfect time for a football competition. More competitions arrived in July as readers were told what WORDOPHOBIA meant. August saw the first Pocket Money contest, while September saw the Avengers gain their own weekly title on the shelves of Britain's newsagents. It was a Happy 1st Birthday to British Marvel in October . Things got fishy in November when readers got a chance to win with Marvel and the Angling Times Kingfisher Guild's angling contest. Old order changeth for the Avengers this December and a chance to win in the third pocket money comp. All in all it's been a packed twelve months for British Marvel.

The Mighty Marvel Mailbag

Mark "FOOM" Stubbings, Captain America's No.1 fan from Sussex writes in to complain about his missing issues of FOOM #2 and #3. He also wants to see reprints of Captain America's adventures from the 1940's and the 1950's. John Huxford from Coventry, a longstanding Marvelite for some 10 years, writes to complain too, but his letter deals with the lack of colour that use to be in older MWOM and SMCW weeklies. Paul R. Kelly from London writes a short letter because he can't find the words to congratulate Marvel on their fabulous mags so he simply says thanks a million. Jimmy Tatterslale from Grimsby heard on TV people discussing the violence in comics and possibly banning them. Jimmy and his mates would fight those who wish to do so. Philip Elliott from Chelmsford placed an ad in one of the Swap Shops and got 55 replies. So I guess some people did indeed use that feature.

The Fantastic Four "Divide and conquer!"

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 this issues story is the continuation of last weeks FF's adventure the opening splash page for this week makes great use of the cover from the Fantastic Four Annual #2. The FF are invited to the Latvian Embassy for a special function in their honour. It's worth noting that the FF and the world at large don't know that Doctor Doom is the ruler of Latveria. The FF are offered drinks which Reed becomes suspicious of but too late to stop Ben, Johnny and Sue from drinking it. They then start to see visions of their teammates attacking them. Doom reveals himself to be the mastermind behind their predicament, ending in a chance for the team to regroup and face Doom in a showdown next week.

It's a packed page that not only advertises the contents for Spider-man Comics Weekly and the Avengers, but also teases new exciting looks coming soon to both the Mighty World of Marvel and Spider-man Comics Weekly with glossy covers for both of them like the Avengers as well as an increase in the number of pages. Plus Daredevil will finally return to the pages of the Mighty World of Marvel and the invincible Iron Man will join the line up of Spider-man and Thor in Spider-man Comics Weekly. 1974 looks to be an exciting new year! But first lets see what this weeks SMCW looks like.

Spider-man Comics Weekly #46

Ladies and gentlemen may I present this week's Cover of the Week! Drawn by the talented John Romita Sr this slightly recoloured version of the cover from Amazing Spider-man #52 is not only eye-catching and dramatic, but it's got added speech balloons from Jameson. Well you wouldn't just sit there in silence and let the water build up. I'd be screaming for Spider-man to wake up too! Quick let's open the comic and see how Spidey gets them out of that.

Spider-man "To die a hero!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: John Romita Sr

Inker: Mike Esposito

Originally published in the Amazing Spider-man #52

Cover date September 1967

(Published in June 1967)

It's a great opening splash page, the Kingpin's men take an unconscious Spider-man and a panicking Jameson to the sub-cellar to dispose of them. It's a dark page that fits the tempo of the story. Simple use of the page to show that the Kingpin is the top man with his placement at the top of the stairs. Jameson is in the middle but he hasn't got a clue what's going on. while Spider-man is at the bottom, totally unaware of the danger they'll face.

The danger is magnified when the two prisoners get cuffed to a slab in a room that will fill up with water and drown them. Hasn't every criminal boss got one of those in their sub-basement? Will Spider-man wake up in time to save them? Lee and Romita like to put cliffhangers all the way along their Stories to keep readers glued to the comic.

Jameson's screaming and the rising water does awaken Spider-man just in time for him to free his arms demo the steel cuffs and encase Jameson and himself in a web cocoon that he hopes will remain water tight and trap enough air inside for them to breathe. 

After his first appearance last week Daily Bugle's city editor makes his second appearance and this time he's given a name. Robertson's first job in the absence of Jameson is to promote Ned Leeds from reporter to Crime reporter, replacing the missing Fred Foswell.   

Spidey's quick thinking did work and as the Kingpin's men drain and enter the room that Jameson and Spidey are locked in, our hero leaps from his web cocoon to surprise the two thugs, knocking them both out. Spidey frees Jameson and tells him to escape while he goes of to confront the Kingpin.

Foswell isn't happy with the Kingpin's methods of silencing the web-slinger and the paper editor, murder isn't his style. This doesn't sit well with Fisk who threatens to do to Foswell what he believed he did to J.J. and Spidey. Spider-man slams open the office doors to tell the crime boss "Hands off tubby! You're going to need your strength for Spider-man!"

Before we can see how the match between the fat man and the Spider-man goes Lee and Romita make a scene change and we find that Flash Thompson has returned on leave from the army to meets up with the old gang,  Harry, Gwen and Mary Jane. Peter misses out on those young adult get togethers.

Spider-man takes on the Kingpin who puts up a good fight with big action packed panels drawn imposingly by John Romita. Ultimately Fisk knows when the odds are against him and he nips out through a secret passage way. Foswell locates Jameson and tries to protect the man who believed in him from two gun men, the reformed criminal heroically takes a bullet shielding the Bugle's editor.

Spidey arrives just a little too late to make any difference other than knocking out Foswells killers. Jameson was right for once, he gave Foswell a job when no one else would. The ex-con repays him by saving his life. Jameson offers Ned Leeds the chance to write the front page with Foswell as the hero while Jameson will write an editorial against Spider-man even though Spidey saved him from a watery grave. I guess those are the breaks. It's an amazing end to an amazing story. One of Stan and John's greatest. Next week Doctor Octopus, Nuff said!

Another full page of in-house adverts and a coming soon teaser. If you look closely on this page and the in-house adverts page seen in the Mighty World of Marvel you'll notice that the original headlines are different than those shown on the covers. Spider-man Comics Weekly read "Bonus feature The power, the passion, the pride of Thor!" The one on the Mighty World of Marvel reads "The F.F. face their deadliest foe-Doctor Doom!" The Avengers headline is partly obscured but it does look like it reads "This issue: Dr. Strange!" These covers must have been created and lettered weeks and weeks before they went to the printers. Some quick thinking editor must have seen that they would be released in the Christmas week and so changed headlines quickly before the printers got the proofs. Each weekly now has the headline of "A Happy Christmas to all Marvelites"

The Mighty Thor "The power! The passion! The pride!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Vince Colletta

Originally published in Journey into Mystery #121

Cover date October 1965

(Published in August 1965)

It makes more sense seeing the headline on the in-house ad for SMCW as seen in this weeks MWOM with this weeks Thor title. It's a strange title though, I get that the power comes from Thor and the Absorbing Man, but I'm not sure how much passion and pride both characters give off in this story to warrant the rest of the title. May be that comes from Jack Kirby as he delivers a masterclass of matchless artistic excellence when it comes to this Asgardian tale. He might have been filled with pride when he handed over the artwork, although it's very possible that Vince Colletta did remove some of the passion with his inking.

You can see on some pages that Kirby would go the extra mile with more lavish attention to detail. How much was removed from some of the more basic pages is anyones guess. It's a bit of a shame that British Marvel was produced in black and white because some of Kirby's artwork looks even better in colour, although who ever grey toned it did a fair job making the impression of colour. Crusher Creel absorbs everything from bricks to the Uru metal of Thor's hammer. He even absorbs the mass of the steel and concrete building to gain height. How he does this is anyone's guess as I always considered that his power was only to absorb the property of whatever object he touched and not its mass. But in saying that it does look great on this splash page, "a veritable colossus of stone and iron!" and an incredible example of Kirby's imagination.

The Avengers #15

This week's cover is an original British cover by Ron Wilson. The inker may well have been Mike Esposito or John Tartaglione according to the Grand Comics Database's Nick Capcuto. What is strange about this cover is the lower text box that says "In the grip of General Gorgo!" The General was never named Gorgo anywhere in the British or American versions. Why he was named like that on the cover is a mystery. May be he was intended to be named "General Gorgo" inside but there wasn't enough room in the speech balloons for the British bodger to fit in all the letters.

The Avengers "When the General commands!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Don Heck

Inker: Dick Ayers

Originally published in The Avengers #18

Cover date July 1965

(Published in May 1965)

The original US title for this Avengers story was "When the Commissar commands!" with Commissar being the name given to an official of the Communist Party, who is responsible for political education and organisation. I had thought that British Marvel had stopped its censorship of communist ideas, names or places but maybe it was thought that Commissar was a title that is unfamiliar to a young British readership. "General" as a name works just fine, so the bodger got to work changing Commissar to General.

For the most part the Avengers haven't up to this point battled against communist villains like other Marvel heroes have in there British editions. That is about to change with the introduction of the General. A giant of a man who with his weaselly sidekick, Major Hoy, rules over a small central Asian province of Sin-Cong. "Protecting the weak" from the "evil propaganda" created by "scheming capitalist nations", while only asking for his people's complete servitude. Some of the communist symbols are changed slightly from the Red star to a Bodavian lightning bolt, but much of the communist language and ideology remains the same, other than the "Commissar" to "General" name swap.

  

Captain America is getting restless after receiving no reply to his letter requesting an appointment in Colonel Nick Fury's new counter intelligence unit, a story that will have to wait till next week. While waiting for the call to action he receives a message from "Radio Free Sin-Cong" asking for help. Cap alerts the Avengers and leads them into a trap set up by the General. The Scarlet Witch is captured and the three male Avengers are challenged to individually duel the General, who's real motivation is one of a propaganda victory in front of witness, showing how weak and inferior the west really is. The General's strength, speed and trickery allows him to beat Cap, Hawkeye and Quicksilver easily, but Cap notices that Major Hoy slips behind a curtain every time the General fights one of them. 

Cap tells the General that he hasn't defeated all the Avengers and challenges him to release the Scarlet Witch so that he can match his strength against her. Cap whispers some brief instructions to Wanda, who with her Hex powers sets fire to the curtains to reveal an elaborate control panel from which the Hoy was controlling the robot General. After another Hex bolt the control panel is destroyed and the robot explodes, freeing the people of Sin-Cong from its tyranny. Surprisingly Stan Lee and Don Heck make good work of this "Wizard of Oz" homage, with the Scarlet Witch saving the day like Dorothy with Cap, Hawkeye and Quicksilver becoming the Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Lion. as we find out what's really behind the bamboo curtain. Just before I finished writing this blog I read this story on Christmas Eve, which feels right that the Wizard of Oz should be seen on Christmas. It feels like I got the Marvel version. 

Avengers Assemble 

Jack Leuoides from London thinks that the Avengers is the grooviest mag around and as soon as he picked up the very first issue he went home and put the free transfers on his hands and forehead. J. McGowan from Wigan takes the Marvel editors to task over the way in which they answer questions from letter writers by giving a "crummy smart answer" or a "non-answer". He also asks his own questions which aren't answered at all. Instead he is given a long and detailed reason to why they answer questions in a "smart" way. Should I list and answer J's questions? Well it's not really my place. This is J's third letter, the first two were never printed, so may be they'll answer the questions in his fourth correspondence. Paul Holmes from Swindon who by his own admission is one of the few Avengers weekly readers who doesn't like Doctor Strange but is a big fan of Captain America and Iron Man. He would like to see Daredevil back in MWOM, well that's happening soon Paul and also wants full colour in the UK mags, well that won't be for a considerable time. Patrick Cullen from Birmingham wonders why in one issue of the Avengers the Wasp calls Giant Man Hank but his name is Henry. The editor makes a long explanation of why but fails to state that Hank is a diminutive of Henry. Patrick also asks for the Avengers letter page to get it's own address, which the editor thinks he means it's own title, which is a point that is driving me crazy 50 years later when I write these blogs an each week they change the title of the Avengers mailbag every week.

Doctor Strange "Duel with the Dread Dormammu!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Steve Ditko

Inker: George Roussos 

Originally published in Strange Tales #127

Cover date December 1964

(Published in September 1964)

This opening splash page for Doctor Strange shows perfectly the hero, the villain and the damsel in distress in a style that is unmistakably Steve Ditko. It breaks the horizontal plain by having his characters stand on physically impossible floating platforms that are linked by strange dimension door-ways and trippy paths. it's great to view as no panel will ever be the same as another.

The woman, who we would in later stories find out is called Clea, warns the Doctor that he should not oppose the Dread Dormammu as although he is evil and holds power over all in the (again unnamed,) Dark Dimension, he's also the reason why that dimension is protected from the unstoppable onslaught of the Mindless Ones by a barrier that Dormammu maintains. The woman is enslaved by Dormammu as penalty for speaking to his enemy. 

Doctor Strange has to challenge the Dread Dormammu for the safety of the Earth's dimension no matter what the consequences. The Master of the Mystic Arts makes a fair attempt at battling Dormammu but the lord of the Dark Dimension is stronger, although the battle comes at a cost. The mystical barrier that holds the Mindless Ones at bay is weakening and the savage hordes push through into Dormammu's domain. The dark lord breaks off from his duel with Strange to force back the Mindless Ones but even his powers aren't enough. Strange aids his enemy by adding the power of his enchanted amulet to Dormammu's attack thus forcing their common foes back. Although the Dread Dormammu is evil he does hold to his own moral code and agrees to release the girl without harm and to never invade Earth. Once the Doctor returns to the Earth dimension the Ancient One rewards him with a new cloak and amulet more powerful than his previous mystical objects. This great tale centres the sorcerer with the look he's most known for today.   

The in-house adverts seen in the Avengers for Spider-man Comics Weekly and the Mighty World of Marvel are only basic ads that list the contents of both mags without any story details or information of any future format changes, unlike the ads in both other comics did. We do get to see the cover of Spider-man Comics Weekly again which is a good thing, but without the upper headline shown in the MWOM ad or the printed cover headline. The speech balloons and lower text box together with the date and issue information aren't shown either. It must have been a very early proof version. 

  All three of this week's mags had this colour full page pin-up with a Christmas message from Stan Lee and a mass of Marvel characters wishing the reader a "Happy Holidays, Pilgrim. From all of us.. ..to all of you!" "Peace on Earth, good will to all." Some of the faces hadn't been seen yet in British Marvel, like the Inhumans Medusa and Triton. The Grand Comics Database says that this piece of seasonal artwork was by Marie Severin, but was it made especially for British Marvel or had it appeared elsewhere? 

And with that question hanging in the air, I'll wish all the Friends of the Power of the Beesting a Merry Marvel Christmas. I hope to bring you all the wonderful world of Marvel weeklies from 50 years ago in the new year. Which as you read this could be coming in a week or less. So till then I'll... 

See you in seven. 

Or may be less if I'm on the good list and there's time for a Christmas bonus blog. Til then...

...seasonal wishes to you all.

Make Mine Marvel.