...Where stalks the...Beesting?

Week Ending 18th May 1974

The Mighty World of Marvel #85

It's not a good week for covers. All three where created especially for each British comic by Ron Wilson, I don't mean that as a slight on his artistic prowess, he can do some great work and back in 1973/74 he was the artist for quite a few of Marvel's black and white magazines strips like Tales of the Zombie and Monsters Unleashed so I guess UK covers where just quick "fill-ins", in-between his other work. I feel that this should be my choice of Cover of the Week, there's something interesting about a group of Satanic-cult worshipers sacrificing the Hulk, while the other two covers are run of the mill covers. Mike Esposito inked this one. 

The Incredible Hulk “...Where stalks the Night Crawler!”

Writer:Roy Thomas 

Artist: Herb Trimpe

Inker: Herb Trimpe

Originally published in The Incredible Hulk #126

Cover date April 1970

(Published in January 1970)

I like that this story continues straight on from last week's adventure, as a reader you've got no time to think about the why's or how's and the what if's. A group of teenagers carry the unconscious body of Bruce Banner to a mysterious house right out of an American Gothic novel, that is owned by the equally mystifying Van Nyborg. We're introduced to two minor characters that will return later to make important story arcs in a future super-hero group. Jack and Barbara with the group of occultists carry the lifeless Banner to a "sacred chamber".  

Like many stories from this era my major recollection is of reading it in my early teens when it was re-printed in the Hulk's own Marvel UK comic, The Incredible Hulk issue 22 cover dated 25th August 1982. It's quite an adult theme, as Barbara is lead into something that at first she may have felt was a lark but later turns out to be deadly. Banner and his usual supporting cast, even though they are in this story, take a back seat to the original story idea and plot that Roy Thomas wanted to write about.   

Van Nyborg's cultist worship the Undying Ones and they require a champion to free them from the realm they are imprisoned in. Doctor Strange has blocked the gateway from their dimension to earth with his own body in an adventure UK readers haven't yet seen, in a trilogy of adventures for Doctor Strange, Namor and the Hulk that will get printed in order from issue 85 of the Avengers weekly cover dated 3rd May 1975, that will fill out the back ground, forming a loosely based foundation for the Defenders. This story is great in isolation but it's even better when read with those other stories. 

We'll get round to looking at them next year, but fundamentally Thomas wanted to finish off a story he had written for Doctor Strange but couldn't as the Doctor's own comic was cancelled with issue 183 (cover dated November 1969). An Alternative route to our Earth reality would be through a dark Dimension ruled by a demonic creature called the Night-Crawler. Van Nyburg hoped that Banner's monstrous form would defeat the Night-Crawler and open another pathway to our dimension. Banner refuses to change and fight, knowing that it would mean earth destruction, he was willing to sacrifice himself. The girl Barbara calls out what they are doing is wrong, but only gives Van Nyburg reason to send her across the void to join Banner as incentive. Her endangerment is the catalyst to transform Banner into the Hulk. Continued next week.  

The Fantastic Four “The battle of the Baxter Building!”

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Vince Colletta 

Originally published in The Fantastic Four #40

Cover date July 1965

(Published in April 1965)

It's quite a symbolic opening splash page showing Doctor Doom attempting to get revenge on the powerless Fantastic Four as they rush towards the Baxter Building with their ally Daredevil. I guess Jack must have thought it looked good as they climb up a miniature New York sky line. Although I have to question why is Ben Grimm now the Thing again? That would open the flood gates for "No-Prizers".  Doom launches the Reed Richards devised mobile "TV Eye" to locate the FF, but DD uses his multi-tooled Billy Club as a shot gun to destroy it. 

Eventually the FF make their way to the Baxter Building with the help of Daredevil running interference for them. Reed sends Sue, Johnny and Ben to help Daredevil distract Doom while he recovers the Stimulator that was last used to return the missing powers to the FF only three issues ago in MWOM #82. He uses it to restore his own powers first , then on Sue and Johnny who use their newly returned powers to keep Doom at bay, but Doom is still a match for them. Reed has no choice but to use the Stimulator device on Ben, despite his protests. Transformed into the Thing once again, Ben follows after Doctor Doom and stops him before he can activate a powerful weapon that will decimate the entire block. With Doom humiliated and defeated, the Fantastic Four allow him to limp away. Now the battle is over Ben informs them that he is quitting the Fantastic Four, having finally become fed up with always getting the raw deal in the group. It's a bit lazy of Stan to use the same plot device to return the FF's powers three weeks ago, surely readers will notice.

The Mighty Marvel Mailbag

H. A Buckholdt asks two questions about Bruce Banner's Gamma Ray device and how Spider-man's web-shooter works. The answers in the letter page. Raoul deBunsen RFO, QNS, KOF, FFF, found out about the changes to MWOM and SMCW, with the return of Daredevil and introduction of Iron Man, while he was still in bed one morning. Glossy covers more page and more heroes are he says "Brilliant, Magnificent and Wonderful!" Grant David from Glamorgan in South Wales has a few ideas with having Daredevil back with Doctor Doom, make the Hulk a "goodie" and feature the Silver Surfer somewhere. Well he'll be happy with DD, Doom and the Hulk this issue, as for the Surfer, he'll have to wait. Norman Boyd from Cambridgeshire writes a tale of a boy called Norman who was sad and lonely until he heard the word "Marvel". Then every week Norman would stroll over hill and dale to find his beloved mags.  

This week's in-house advert for the Avengers weekly and Spider-man Comics Weekly. Which eagle eyed Friends of the Beesting will notice that the cover for the Avengers weekly is from two issues ago and the panel showing the Vulture attacking Spider-man is taken from SMCW#64, which again was from two week's ago! Someone made a boo-boo. I wonder will someone claim a No-Prize for that slip up? Future letter pages will tell all. Speaking of Spider-man Comics Weekly, up next this week's issue.

Spider-man Comics Weekly #66

A very dark and moody cover from Ron Wilson, which is fine for the story it represents, but I find it lacking in dynamic action so I won't pick it over the MWOM one for CotW. The Artwork was again inked by Mike Esposito. 

Spider-man “The Impossible Escape!”

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: John Romita Sr

Inker: Jim Mooney

Originally published in the Amazing Spider-man #65

Cover date October 1968

(Published in July 1968)

Captain Stacy and Gwen find the unconscious body of Spider-man having just passed out in a crowded street following last week's fight with the Vulture. Gwen is more concerned about Peter, which is a good thing, while her father is concerned that Spider-Man's civil rights aren't being broken as he is taken into police custody, ensuring that the web-slingers's mask is not removed and his identity revealed.  

George Stacy escorts the unconscious hero to the local prison infirmary where he will be questioned when he revives. However, this never happens because while Gwen is talking on the phone with her father, prison inmates decide that now would be a good time to break out of prison using the infirmary as a weak point and Stacy as a valuable hostage. It's bad timing for a breakout as Spider-man regains consciousness. Spidey bluffs them into thinking that he isn't bothered about their hostage and he wants to help them escape. Does Captain Stacy see the bluff? Can Spider-man save him and stop the prisoners? Find out next week. 

Marvel Bullpen Bulletins

MWOM didn't get a Bullpen page this week but Spider-man Comics Weekly does, starting with a special briefing on Mysterio as way of a teaser for the villain who will return in issue 68. Strangely there's an item on the New York Art Convention which is held on the closest weekend to the 4th July. Not that relevant to British readers but this item does end with news of a two day event in London soon. It doesn't say when though. Stan's Soapbox chats about letters asking for the Bullpen's opinions on such diverse subjects  as Viet Nam, civil rights, poverty and elections. He says that at Marvel there isn't an unanimous Bullpen opinion about everything as some Bullpeners are staunch liberals and others are dyed-in-the-wool conservatives, while others like Stan prefer to go by the issue and not the ideology. The one vital issue they all believe in is that man has a divine destiny and an awesome responsibility of treating all who share this wondrous world with tolerance and respect, judging each fellow human on their own merit, regardless of race, creed or colour. Amen to that Stan. The next item is on the term "comic mags". Some don't like the use of "comic", When I was younger I shied away from the word comic, it was always mags or magazines or comic mags. But now the older me is comfortable with comics, as long as they're good I don't care what other people think of them. There's a small item on Paul Gulacy taking over the artwork on Master of Kung Fu from Jim Starlin. Two artists who were making comics cool again. Finally a wrap-up on the new breed of reader who value intelligent stories that are written with good taste and great art, and a quick Mighty Marvel Checklist ends this week's Bullpen Bulletin.

Iron Man “The mysterious Mr. Doll!”

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Steve Ditko

Inker: Dick Ayers

Originally published in Tales of Suspense #48

Cover date December 1963

(Published in September 1963)

It only seems like last week when I was lamenting the end of Steve Ditko's era at Marvel with his last Doctor Strange story, as it was... well... only last week! Steve had, to put it gently, come to a difference of opinion with Stan Lee on many creative subjects and his final story for Doctor Strange (Strange Tales #146) and Spider-man (the Amazing Spider-man #38) had marked that end. But Ditko had worked briefly on other Marvel characters before he left to work for Charlton Comics and DC, one of them was Iron Man and UK readers get to see how he faired.

Ditko's time on Iron Man was short, only lasting two issues of Tales of Suspense, with his second story "The New Iron Man Meets the Angel!" being held back to issue 77 of SMCW. But his influence on the Iron Man that we all know shouldn't be forgotten, unlike his creation Mr. Doll, that perhaps should be forgotten. Mr. Doll wears a bull like balaclava, why you ask? Well who knows? It looks silly because it is. Mr. Doll was originally intended to be named Mr. Pain, but it was possibly changed to the less violent sounding Mr. Doll at the insistence of the Comics Code Authority. He has very similar powers to the Puppet Master, in that he has a magic voodoo doll that gives him control over the person it looks like, he can quickly change its appearance to look like his next victim. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby debut  the Puppet Master in the Fantastic Four #8 (cover dated November 1962, published August 1962) thirteen months before Mr. Doll. All the blame shouldn't be laid at Ditko's door. Stan Lee was the "writer" of both comics and as we can see in this week's FF story Lee likes to recycle plot ideas. Mr. Doll uses his powers to make rich millionaires give him all their wealth. When a supplier of steal to Stark Industries becomes his next victim Iron Man investigates but fails as Mr. Doll uses his voodoo doll to crush the hero.

Stark goes away defeated but he redesigns his suit into a more flexible and light-weight version. The golden Avengers becomes the red and gold Avenger. What is commonly known as the "Model Two Armour" features arms and leg units that magnetically connect to his flexible sleeve and leggings. A new double peaked visor mask on his helmet finishes off the look. How all that works is fantastical but if we accept that a man can fly with repulser jets on his feet we can believe the rest. How it fairs against Mr. Doll we'll have to find out next week. 
 

The Web and the Hammer

Stuart McAllister from Abingdon spotted the incorrect colour scheme of Doc Ock's costume on SMCW#50 cover as opposed to the American version as I mentioned when I reviewed that issue. Ian Bond From Hertfordshire thinks that Marvel comics are the "craziest" things since the War of the Roses, well that's a statement. He buys both Avengers weekly and MWOM but thinks that SMCW is going to the dogs! Kenneth Joy was a little "joyless to find out that in SMCW#50 the introduction of Iron Man meant that the Spider-man strip would be halved in size. He also asked what happened to the Spider-man adventure "Never Step on a Scorpion"? The editor didn't answer that puzzle, so if you want to find out more of that mystery of why it didn't appear in SMCW#24 here . Peter Mitchell moved from Canada to Scotland and thinks that the lack of colour in British Marvel comics is very disappointing, but after reading the replies to letters inquiring about this matter he understands the problem, adding what really matters is the quality of your workmanship inside the comics. In the final column of this letter page is a teaser for next week's Super Summer Fishing Contest. So as it says "Plaice" your bets on a "reel" winner. 

Even after the mention in the Web and the Hammer letter column readers of SMCW get this simple half page teaser for Marvel's next Fishing Contest. Start your Super Summer, here and now in Marvel Style! In what could be another summer of Marvel competitions, next week sees another "Frolicking Fishing Contest!" "So get your hooks into next week's mag to find out what the catch will be!" The puns don't stop there, "Just you bait and sea!- You'll reel-in with delight!" The editor must have knocked up that advert last thing on a Friday night, but it does what it needs to. The Avengers weekly gets the same advert too.

The Mighty Thor “They strike from space!” 

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Jack Kirby 

Inker: Vince Colletta

Originally published in The Mighty Thor #131

Cover date August 1966

(Published in June 1966)

Thor with Hercules return to Olympus following his battle against Pluto in Hades to break the Prince of power's pack with the underworld ruler. Joyful Hercules announces, much to the annoyance of Ares that he is free again. Thor leaves Hercules and Ares to return to Earth so that he may be reunited with Jane Foster. Unknown to Thor is that Jane Foster has left New York while under the hypnotic suggestion of her roommate Tana Nile so that she does not get in the way of Tana's plans for Thor. Tana Nile turns out to be something more than you could imagine.

Tana Niles reveals herself to be an alien who goes by the identification of Colonizer Nile from the constellation of Rigel. An alien that could only ever come from the fertile imagination of Jack Kirby. Nile's makes her report and wishes to stake a claim on the planet Earth for colonisation, although she does hold some reservations on how fit Earth would be to colonise as she fears a battle will occur and more time is needed for the planet to be observed. However the Colonizers disagree, believing that other than their feared threat from the Black Galaxy, they are invincible to any other foes. 

Thor is finally given permission from Odin to see Jane Foster again so he travels to Earth for a romantic reunion only to face a bolt of extra-terrestrial force as he lands on her window ledge. Ending this week's adventure with a "Next Week:"The Colonizers" And myself a small headache. The Colonizers and Colonzser Nile are names created by Lee and Kirby so they used the American spelling but when I spell coloniser I used the British spelling. America and Britain, two countries divided by a common language. So please forgive if I slip a "Z" for a "S"or vice versa. The British editors keep that one the Americanism in, oh well.  

Spider-man Comics Weekly sticks with the tried and tested Double Dynamite in-house advert for British Marvel's two other triumphs. Unlike the one in this week's MWOM the editor uses the correct covers for this week's Mighty World of Marvel and the Avengers weekly. Speaking of which...

 

Avengers Weekly #35

Ron Wilson's Master of Kung Fu cover specially drawn for this week's Avengers. Why the Avengers never got a turn at the cover I don't know. May be they thought that Avengers fans would buy it anyway and that Shang-Chi would pull a new audience in. Inks by Frank Giacoia. I think that Mike Esposito inks Wilson's pencils slightly better than Giacoia, but I have to say that Pablo Marcus is the best inker of Wilson's work.

Master of Kung Fu “Island of lightning death!”

Writer: Steve Englehart 

Artist: Paul Gulacy

Inker: Al Milgrom

Originally published in Master of Kung Fu #18

Cover date June 1974

(Published in March 1974)

A new title is used above two reused panels from last week's final two panels. the larger one looks pretty good seeing that it has been blown up in size, which shows how detailed Gulacy was as an artist, although the extra water has been added by an art bodger to increase the scale. Shang-Chi sneaks aboard to discover that his father had been smuggling mimosa in barrels of gasoline. 

There are about 600  species of herbs and shrubs in the mimosa family. Species are found native in the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, eastern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar) as well as the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. Mimosa tenuiflora is best known for its use in shamanic ayahuasca brews due to the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine found in its root bark. Englehart and Gulacy pull no punches as this story involves Fu Manchu using his enhanced mimosa drug to completely destroy the wills of Americans over a period of months as they breathe in the fumes as they fill their vehicles up with his specially treated gasoline, That will spew exhaust/mimosa vapour into the air across America, that Fu Manchu will sell cheaply to a president of an international oil company, who is unaware that his greed is poisoning the energy-starved Americans, until his usefulness has ended, then so will his life at Fu Manchu's pleasure. So many messages, on greedy corporate America, the overindulgence of drugs, and ecological issues. I'm not suggesting that either creators are preaching ideologies but they're giving young minds food for thought. 

That isn't all that gives food for thought in this week's Master of Kung Fu story, Fu Manchu drips four drops of another one of his wild chemical discoveries onto the head of Dacoit, the assassin who failed to kill Shang-Chi last issue. The chemical causes excruciating agony as his entire nervous system becomes inflamed, giving him only nine minutes to live, but it also enhances his speed in that time. He's ordered to kill Shang-Chi, whose knowledge of fighting barely keeps him alive. Until the pain becomes too much for Dacoit who would rather commit suicide by burning his own face off than live any more of his remaining minutes in pain. Master of Kung Fu isn't for kids but I'm so glad as a teenager I did read it. It would have probably gone over my head as a four year old to twelve year old.

Marvel Bullpen Bulletins

The Avengers weekly version of the Bullpen Bulletins page is pretty much the same as the one featured in Spider-man Comics Weekly with the exception of MWOM #85 and SMCW #66 being in the Mighty Marvel Checklist and the only other difference is an item Special to the Avengers. Which replaces the SMCW tease about the up coming Mysterio story, the Avengers readers get teased about next week's issue that will feature one of the most long-awaited in the whole history of comics, the "Origin of the Ancient One!" Well I like Doctor Strange immensely and the Ancient One is a brilliant character, but I wouldn't say that I was excited about it. You'd think that it was a Silver Surfer or Conan story. 

What they don't say is who will be making his UK debut next week. Now I don't usually tease what's coming up unless they've already made a point of doing so. But just for one week I'll tease that a monstrous guest-star of legendary status will appear in Master of Kung Fu next week. You'll either have your mind blown with the character's appearance or be disappointed that it's not your usual run of the mill mask and cape type. Don't miss next week's Power of the Beesting to find out if you like of loath it.

The Avengers “The Laser trap!”

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Don Heck

Inker: Don Heck

Originally published in The Avengers #34

Cover date November 1966

(Published in September 1966)

This splash page uses the cover from the Avengers #34, which at first look seems like a great idea as the Living Laser has just cut through the ceiling into Goliaths lab and attacked him. But there should only be the giant Avenger and Bill Foster in that lab, the artwork shows both Hawkeye and Captain America! The following pages see Goliath trick the Living Laser into following him out side into the open where he defeats him. Cap and Hawkeye do arrive to take the Laser away as Goliath returns to his lab work. But the fiend escapes wrecking an Avengers airship in the process. 

Cap, Hawkeye and the Wasp track down the Living Laser again, but Hawkeye and Captain America show their ineffectiveness again as they get captured in a deadly laser trap. The Wasp tries to free them but is captured herself while attempting to find the release switch. This is related too on the page as an insect size Wasp tries flicking different switches with Janet Van Dyne thinking one of Stan Lee's most clunkiest and sexist lines ever, "If only I understood these things...like a man!" setting feminism right back to the middle-ages. In another panel Hawkeye adds "Cap! he out-smarted her! He caught the Wasp!" Well gentlemen you weren't that smart yourselves in getting caught in the first place. I do love Stan, but at times I'm desperate for Roy Thomas to take over.

Avengers Readers Assemble

David Fatscher from Sussex wants Marvel to bring out another mag but wait till May when it's his birthday as he gets an annual pocket money rise of five pence, so he can then afford all the Marvel weeklies and still have three pence change. An unsigned letter writer wonders if Marvel could put two new characters in their comics, one is called Eagle-Man and the other is the Terror. They are created by the anonymous writer which leaves two points, how would Marvel pay or credit them for their creations and also they don't sound as good as "The Beesting!" Only joking! N. Lowther from London wants to thank Marvel for three MARVELous mags and would like to see the Silver Surfer in the Avengers weekly so that all three comics have three stories in each. Well Marvel had a similar idea but Master of Kung Fu got in there first. I'm looking forward to reading what kids in 1974 thought about the Shang-Chi stories. It's John Addison from Cheltenham second attempt to get a letter printed, and he want's to start a fight with some "squirt" for saying things about the Hulk in MWOM#72, I presume he means the unsigned letter writer whose letter was printed in that issue, who called the Hulk "a pea-brained, knuckle-headed, long-nosed, big-mouthed, green finger-nailed nut!" John even gives out his address so the unsigned can find him and say all that to his face. Well the only fighting I like is in the pages of a comic mag.

Doctor Strange “From the nameless nowhere comes...Kaluu!”

Writer: Dennis O'Neil 

Artist Bill Everett 

Inker: Bill Everett 

Originally published in Strange Tales #147

Cover date August 1966

(Published in May 1966)

Doctor Strange gets a new creative group now that Steve Ditko has departed Marvel and this story feels like a fill-in. The title promises a new character/villain called Kaluu, but he isn't really seen at all in this strip unless you count the pair of eyes seen in the last panel. It's only the Ancient One mentioning the name in the second to last page that makes any reference to the name. The start of the tale feels very urban as Doctor Strange goes shopping, stops a robbery and finds out that he hasn't payed his grocery bill.  

For most of the middle of the story there's a re-cap of the Master of the Mystic Arts previous adventures fighting against Baron Mordo and the Dread Dormammu, as well as his encounters with Eternity and the girl he now knows as Clea. Some flashback panels look like they have been taken from Ditko's previous strips, which they might have been. The Marvel.Fandon.Com lists Steve Ditko as co-artist. But on to the plot that regular Doctor Strange readers will be wanting, rather than retelling of old stories, is some fiend from the Ancient One's pass as stolen the Book of Vishanti. And other than that we are left with a promise that we'll find out more about Kaluu next week as we discover the origin of the Ancient One too. 

The inside back page features another "double dynamite" in-house advert for this week's the Mighty World of Marvel and Spider-man Comics Weekly. Notice that the advert must have been made well in advance as the price on the MWOM cover reads six pence and not the seven pence that the comic actually was. 

Finally for this week, here's the back page of the Avengers weekly that features an advert for nine Marvel patches. They're forty pence each or ninety pence for three. The choice of Marvel characters are the Silver Surfer, the Human Torch, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Conan, Spider-man, the Thing, Thor and the Hulk. The jolly green giant needs them as he's always ripping his pants, he's got the Thing, Torch, Conan, Thor and Iron Man on his backside. The artwork on the patches are by various artists but I'm pretty certain that the patch wearing Hulk image at the top is by Steve Ditko but I can't place where it was taken from.

This week has teased lots of content coming in next week issues, so I'm going to take a little rest, may be read an odd comic,  before I start next week's slog through the pages of British Marvel weeklies, while the sun is out. So till then...

See you in seven.

Make Mine Marvel.