Besieged, defeated than annihilation! The life of a Marvel Super-hero!

 Week Ending 19th January 1974

I feel the need to address a point that was made by Friend Of The Beesting, Mark Lotinga who made a comment on last week's Avengers letter page to a reply from Marvel's editor to a letter written by Ralph Skelton, in which he wrote about the reference to Doctor Strange being a Master of Black Magic, as he had read in a book by Dennis Wheatley that black magic is evil and white magic is good. The editor in answering Ralph stated that Wheatley is one of their favourite writers and by way of a recommendation ""The Devil Rides Out" is one to remember." Mark posed the question, was it a good idea to recommend "The Devil Rides Out" to young readers? I confess that I've never read that book, but I do know the classic Hammer film really well and I'm starting to think was that a valid point. The contents of the book and film in 1974 would have gone over my head as I was probably on the lower age scale for Marvel weeklies at the time. I imagine the target age group would have been 6 to 12 years old and that the "Devil Rides Out" book or film would be read by late teenagers upwards, please correct me if I'm wrong on those points, so was it a mistake to recommend it, or was it just an editor engaging in conversation with a like minded literary lover? I'm not sure, I do think that Petra Skingley, the female British editor who used the pseudonym Peter L. Skingley for these Marvel weeklies, had good intensions. I've always considered that Marvel is a broad church where the reader can get out of the adventures what ever they like, whether it's action you want or intelligent social comment or thought provoking drama, it can be all things for whether age you are. I think this won't be the last time this conversation comes up, especially when we get to the stories and contents of Planet of the Apes and Dracula Lives weeklies, later this year comes around. Are Marvel weeklies for children or kids of all ages? Did you read them at a very young age, possibly younger than their target age? Did you read them as an adult and felt you were too old for them? I think I got the bug at a very young age and as I still read them now may be I should have stopped. No, reading comics makes you young! Anyway thanks to Mark for his comment, its got me thinking. 

More on the Master of Black Magic a lot later in this blog when we get to the Avengers weekly. But what happened in other weeklies first? Let's find out.

The Mighty World of Marvel #68

Wow, this cover makes you sit up and pay attention. It's a pity the printer didn't pay attention when they set up the colours for it. "Our GREEN-skinned golem battles the sinister Super-Humanoid", not ORANGE-skinned! I'm not sure what went wrong, the comic title looks like the right colours but what primary colour or secondary colour was missing to turn the green Hulk orange and the Super-Humanoid from it's original light blue and dark blue colour scheme to pink and green?

 It reminds me of the 1970 Pow Annual with a grey Thing and the Orange coloured FF costumes and the Fantastic Annual of the same year, in which Thor sports a yellow outfit instead of a blue one. Both published in the Autumn of 1969. The colour schemes for the cover stars are perfect inside so I guess the colourist hadn't got a colour templet for the FF and Thor stories that year. What was the excuse for this week's Hulk cover? The artwork for that cover is by Ron Wilson with Mike Esposito handling the inks. Even when disregarding the poor colours I don't like this cover at all. 

The Incredible Hulk "The eve of...annihilation!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Herb Trimpe

Inker: Dan Adkins

Originally published in The Incredible Hulk #115

Cover date June 1969

(Published in March 1969)

The pink and green Super Humanoid might have looked very camp, but to be honest his general look inside the comic looks very camp anyway. Sort of a Muppet robot monster. What does that say about its creator, the Leader? Is he compensating for something? I'm I being overcritical if I compare the Super Humanoid to a giant-sized rubber sex doll? May be, but only a little. For most of this story the Hulk remains imprisoned inside the Leaders plaste-thene cell. so the opportunity of seeing the Hulk and the Super Humanoid battling is only limited. 

Betty Ross unlike her father becomes very suspicious of the Leaders intensions. Enlisting Major Talbot to her doubts he orders a small taskforce of men to challenge the Leader against the General's standing orders. The Leader shows his true colours and sends the giant Humanoid to dispatch them. The General finally sees the truth but it's too late as a well aimed "Mental Blast" from the green fiend renders the troops and the General temporary unconscious. For no reason what so ever the Leader gives Betty a "Protective head device" that will shield her from his mental blasts. "Why?" you and I ask. I guess even megalomaniacs enjoy an audience. The Leader lets his mental powers cover the entire base, forcing it's population to conform to his will save for Betty who sneaks off and looks for a way to free the Hulk, which she does for a time with the Leaders own Plasti-thene "Sealer Beam". The Hulk battles the Super-Humanoid for only a short time before the Leader again covers the Hulk in a living coat of Plasti-thene once more. With the base again under his control and the Hulk fettered beneath a mound of Plasti-thene, the Leader prepares to launch the base's missiles to create a holocaust of nuclear deviastation on the world in which he can rise from the radioactive ashes and become the real "Leader" of the world. Hulkinued...and how! They aren't kidding neither!

The Mighty Marvel Mailbag

Paul Telford from North Shields who says he's getting sick of the FF! He would like to see them gone from MWOM with its contents changed to the X-Men, Daredevil and Captain Marvel. For Spider-man he wants Spidey, of course, with Ka-Zar or Nick Fury replacing Thor. For the Avengers he wants to see the Sub-Mariner, Captain America or the original Human Torch from their Golden Age adventures. Richard Gadshy from Nuneaton wants to see more Marvel Collector Specials or Mini Posters as they seem to have disappeared. S. Julian from Huddersfield thinks MWOM is great but wants the ink changed as it comes off in his hands, which makes his Mum cross. Now them Marvel we don't want a cross Mum do we? John Hall from Middlesex, could that be the Admin for the Facebook group UK Marvel in the Seventies, wanted some answers to some pressing questions. 1) Why does the Human Torch yell "Flame On!" 2) Can Loki be cut out for a while, 3) Will Spider-man battle Thor? 4) Will the FF ever get their own comic? And lastly why are letters printed about 11 weeks out of date? To summarise the editor answers are 1) because he likes to, 2) point taken, 3) yes, 4) possibly, 5) because of the printing schedule. 

Simon Wayne from Bedfordshire, wants more gifts, prizes, competitions and colour from Marvel. The editor points out that they've had a Spidey LP comp, Wordaphobia comp, Football comps and Pocket Money comps that give away everything from cameras, to a Raleigh bike, they add that there can be only one explanation for his letter, that he has a great sense of humour. Robert Stevenson from Bedford has spotted a mistake in the Avengers #7 where Thor mixes up the name of Atlas for Hercules. You can find out why in my blog for that issue. Patrick McGowan from London ask about who's the top star in MWOM, he presumes it's the Hulk as he gets the title headline and of course he's right. He asks four other questions and gets an answer of sorts for them all save "will you put colour in your mags?" adding "you won't give me a straight answer anyway. Oh well!" To that he gets no answer at all. Jonathan Burch from Sussex picks apart the argument that if the Hulk's strength is a thousand times greater than Banner's and if the Hulk's strength is like a thousand pile-drivers does that make Banner's as strong as one pile-driver? Sometimes things are said in Marvel comics that aren't meant to be 100 percent accurate. This mailbag is ended with a short but sweet letter from Todd Walsh from Sussex saying that "the Human Torch is great!"

The Fantastic Four "Battle at the Earth's core!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Chic Stone 

Originally published in The Fantastic Four #31

Cover date October 1964

(Published in July 1964)

Whole city blocks have vanished into the ground so the Avengers rush towards once they learn that the Mole Man is the culprit, much to the dismay of the FF who wants to handle him as he has the Invisible Girl as a hostage. After a brief fight between the two super-groups the FF are left to plan a method to recover their missing member and stop the Mole Man. Mister Fantastic formulates a great plan and with the help of a new created "Detector" and a "Hover Cycle" they do, but at a cost.

That cost is a head injury to Sue Storm. The only one who has the skill to operate on her is, no not Don Blake that would be obvious, no it turns out to be the man who Reed caught Sue reading about in last week's episode, her father. Who had escaped from prison where he was spending a prison term for some un-named crime, unknown to everyone but Sue who had told her brother Johnny that he had died. He handed himself in so that he could save his daughter's life, which he does sharing a moment with his children before he's returned to prison. We haven't heard the last of Dr. Franklin Storm, no, there's more to come next week.

The "double dynamite" in-house advert for this week's Avengers and Spider-man Comics Weekly mags takes an inside page as the colour back page is held over for something special.

The inside back page gives Marvel readers an opportunity to create their own Marvel Super-hero or Super-villain in what looks like nothing more than a wasted page but the reason for this blank page is revealed completely on the back page. The form at the bottom of the page asks for you name, address, your characters name, their powers and a choice of nine age groups. Under 8's, 8-9, 9-10, 10-11, 11-12, 12-13, 13-14, 14-16 (a harder group as it crossed three years, therefore possibly more entrants,) and over 16's. I wonder how many lied about their age to gain an advantage?

  

Yes the full reason is Marvel readers have a chance to win their very own colour TV by entering Marvel's Free Super-hero/Super-villain competition. All they have to do is fill the blank frame with their very own original super-character, name them and state what their super-power, skills or weapons are. There are nine age groups with winners from each group winning a prize, plus an overall winner will bag the TV. None over than Stan (the man) Lee will head the judging panel. Budding artists had just over four weeks to enter. It wouldn't be your drawing ability that wins, but the originality of your idea. Even if your entry didn't get picked as the first prize winner in your group there was still a chance to win many one of the prizes on offer, although they don't say how many. Did you enter? I can't wait to see some of the winners. It's a great idea for a competition.

Spider-man Comics Weekly #49

Right let's not mess about, this John Romita Sr cover is my Cover of the Week. It's absolutely fabulous! What I like even more about the British version is that it focuses in even more on Doc Ock's face. The double reflections of Spider-man struggling against the four robotic tentacles is a master class of creating a beautiful and engaging cover. Superb!

Spider-man "Doc Ock wins!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: John Romita Sr

Inker: Mike Esposito

Originally published in the Amazing Spider-man #55

Cover date December 1967

(Published in September 1967)

This week's adventure is really action backed with an angry Spider-man ripping open the roof of a hide out to find three of Doc Ock's men and only a monitor through which the villain taunts the Web-slinger that he'll never be able to stop him on his next devious heist. Doctor Octopus doesn't tell Spider-man what that heist is for. But we're not left with any doubt that he's still after the "Nullifer" from two issues ago. 
 

This British edition does have some slight strange text adjustments in it, the first one is the Spider-man line "those penny-ante crooks!" to "those good for nothing crooks!" they both sound very American english, the first version sounds OK, the second sounds more silly and cartoonish. The lettering isn't great either, I wonder who did it. I imagine that Dave Gibbons, who did a the early British Marvel lettering for then editor Pippa Melling, would have done a better job. Was he still freelancing for Marvel as a bodger at this time? I get it's not always easy fitting the number of letters in the same space. 

The next lettering correction was a text box that set a scene-change with originally the line "before you start thinking that Louisa May Alcott was Stan's co-author!" to "Enid Blyton" replacing the "Little Women" author. Although Enid Blyton may well be more well known to young British readers through her children's novels I don't feel that she carries the same gravitas as the American novelist. Would the use of Jane Austen been better? 

One thing that the lettering bodger missed, or was it the editors fault for not noticing that when Spider-man talks out loud about the Master Planner while searching the Master Planner/Doctor Octopus's hideout, the original text box informing the reader about which Amazing Spider-man issue that story appeared in are left in the British edition. For those wondering it should've been Spider-man Comics Weekly #25, #26 and #27. 

Spider-man does track down Doctor Octopus but only after the fiend had stolen the "Nullifer" and broken into Stark Industries at Long Island where the mop haired crazed Doctor plans to use the "Nullifer" to take over the world! One man can stop him, that one man is Spider-man. Desperately the tentacled tyrant uses the "Nullifer" against Spidey to an unimaginable effect.

A text box suggests that the "Nullifer" affected Spider-man's radioactive blood in such a way that it induced amnesia in the Web-slinger, causing him to forget who he was and why he's wearing a costume. Doc Ock takes advantage of this by telling him he is an arch-criminal in the service of Doctor Octopus. How that will play out next week could be a "Day of disaster" for Spider-man. Be back for that in seven days.

The Web and the Hammer

Steven Webb from London is a RFO, KOF and with this letter a QNS,  writes in to suggest having a colouring book of Marvel characters as he copies characters from the comics and colours them in, with loads of Hulk, Iron Man and Ice Man drawing covering his bedroom walls. He also asks for a No-Prize to make himself a TTB, but as he hasn't earned it the editor says no. Tyronne Henry from Rutland offers two ideas to make Marvel fantastic, first is coloured stories and the second is having models of super-heroes. Roy Fretwell from Forest Hill thinks that SMCW #33 was great and that the answer to which issue Aunt May received a blood transfusion from Peter was SMCW #2. Paul Ryan from Leeds has created his own super-heroes called Ra the Sun God, the Gladiator, Taurus of the Zodiac, the Phantom and Genesis the Earth Protector. Pretty cool but not as cool as the Beesting! Only joking, may be he should enter this week's design your own super-hero competition. On Holiday he picked up copies of (Tomb of) Dracula and Werewolf by Night, I guess he'll love what's coming later this year. 

Malcolm Currey from County Durham ask the perpetual question where does Spider-man put his street clothes when he changes into his super-hero identity? A nice hiding place is the answer. Sandy Manson from Aberdeenshire thinks SMCW is great and what's to see Spider-man fighting Doctor Doom, the replacement of Thor with Daredevil and will Spider-man reveal his identity to anyone, such as Harry Osborn or Mary Jane? Stuart Webster from Leicester wonders what's happened to SMCW once having 40 pages 'cause now it's only got 32! Well since last week Stuart its up to 36 pages plus glossy covers too, so that an improvement. Philip Wilson from Surrey asks who drew the Lizard in SMCW #38, as he was the artist for him. Well Philip that would be John Romita Sr and he's the Spider-man artist for me too!
 

"The Avengers are here!" And they face Power man in this weeks full length thriller together with another spine-tingler from Doctor Strange the Master of Black Magic! There's also more action awaiting the readers of the Mighty World of Marvel this week with the Incredible Hulk and the Fantastic Four.

 Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-man presents a new brand new style of Spider-man Comics Weekly coming soon! Well its half arrived with the new Glossy covers and the page increase to 36 pages. Next week sees the complete transformation as a third strip joins Spider-man and Thor. But who you ask? Well it isn't a surprise, they've been going on about it for weeks. It's Iron Man! 

The page's artwork is most probably by John Romita Sr.

The Mighty Thor "Asgard besieged!" 

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Vince Colletta

Originally published in Journey into Mystery #122

Cover date November 1965

(Published in September 1965)

This story continues from last week with the Absorbing Man rampaging through Asgard, but quickly returns to Earth to find out what happened to Don Blake, Jane Foster, and her masked abductor Harris Hobbs. As an investigative reporter Hobbs wanted to get to the secrets of Thor and his connection with Jane Foster. I'm not sure where donning a scary mask and keeping her locked away passes any moral journalistic code, but if his methods are a little "Fleet Street tabloid rag journalistic" method the results do work as he finds out Blake/Thor's duel identity. 

Thor agrees to meet with him to discuss their next course of action. Wanting the scoop of the century does Hobbs not wonder if Thor might unleash the full wrath of a God and send him on a one way ticket to heaven or hell? To further scare the journalist Thor takes Hobbs of a whirlwind tour of the past and the future in an attempt to shock him. Which it does but Thor being Thor and Stan Lee being Stan Lee, Jack Kirby being Jack Kirby the plot changes with Thor agreeing to take the reporter to Asgard with a "I salute your courage mortal!" line from Thor. Well at least Hobbs got to go to heaven without having to die for it. 

While in the Golden Realm the Absorbing Man smashes his way through the Palace Guard and into the eternal Throne Room to confront the all powerful All Father. Is it wise to fire a "Cosmic Bolt" of energy at a villain whose unique selling point is he can absorb the properties of matter and energy? Can Odin and Asgard survive this school boy error? Find out next week.

 Another Mighty Marvel Pin-up most probably again from  the pencil of John Romita Sr, this time of the incredibly beautiful Mary Jane Watson.  
 
 

Both Spider-man Comic Weekly and the Avengers weekly feature the same page (seen on the left,) for the Marvel Artist Competition on their back pages. But unlike the one to appear on the Mighty World of Marvel (seen on the right,) theirs has a pink back ground not a yellow one. I did briefly wonder if it had anything to do with the mis-colouring of the MWOM front cover, but Spider-man's colours come out alright. The colours for the lower text box are different but not in a bad way so I think this colour change was intended. What is different between the yellow and pink versions is the positioning and colours of the text in the TV image. The "Would you believe it?" surprise balloon also moves from the top to the bottom of the TV set. Someone must have made two versions and the editor decided to use both.

The Avengers #18

This cover drawn by Marie Severin and inked by Frank Giacoia is far superior to the original Avengers #21 (US version,) by Jack Kirby and Wally Wood. It's got drama and Power (Man), that would on any other day get my Cover of the week award. Not this week, an angry Doc Ock wins the prize for me, but it's a very close second. I had to look back over my previous Avengers issues to see if the four Avengers heads in the Marvel Comics Group box had been redrawn to look downwards in shock at their cover selfs predicament? No they're the same images that's been there since they took over from the originals. 

The Avengers "The bitter taste of defeat!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Don Heck

Inker: Wally Wood

Originally published in The Avengers #21

Cover date October 1965

(Published in August 1965)

If you go off this opening splash page you can be forgiven in thinking that this story is going to be humdrum as it starts with Hawkeye changing a fuse. Yeah it's a typical early Avengers tale but humdrum does seem harsh. Captain America reprimand Hawkeye for doing it as only Tony Stark can work on their equipment. Sounds very severe  from Cap, not really what you expect from a leader when one of their team shows initiative. That's pretty much how this group gets on, as Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch enter to engage in the bickering. 

This story centres on a wounded mercenary, who had previously worked for Baron Zemo, named Erik Josten, who finds his way to Zemo's abandoned Amazon laboratory in hope of operating the machine that had turn Simon Willians into Wonder Man. With no scientific knowledge Josten hopes would fade if not for the timely return of the Enchantress, who through her Asgardian magic works the machine with its "ionic rays" that grants him the strength of Wonder Man, without the threat of death if the treatment wasn't repeated regularly. Was that a clever lie by the Baron or did the Enchantress improve the process? Not wanting to be called a corny name like Wonder Man Erik Josten chooses the corny name of Power Man instead! I never really liked that name either, even when Luke Cage went by it. Power Man's costume looks silly, better than Wonder Man's, but only just. It's a typical Don Heck costume. Like many of Heck's designs they can be cheesy or iconic, or sometimes both. This one is fine for its time.

The Enchantress and Power Man set about a plan to make the Avengers look foolish in the hope that this will weaken them. In truth this group of Avengers regularly make themselves look foolish, without the villains help. The story ends with the Avengers wondering if they aren't up to the name of Avengers? I quite like this story, it makes a change from the usual super-hero fodder where the heroes win gloriously every week. These "losers" will have to wait till next week to turn their troubles around. 

Letters...it's mailbag time

Still no sign of a permanent mailbag title, we do get a "From the Bullpen to you" column this week though. In a roundabout way of pushing the Marvel Artist Competition without actually mentioning it, this column asks would you like to join the staff of the Bullpen office someday? Then goes on to give a comprehensive history of how Stan Lee got to be the head honcho at Marvel. At the age of 15 Lee won the New York Herald Tribunes "Biggest-news-of-the-week-essay" three weeks in a row! The editor urged him to consider becoming a writer. Which of course he did as by 1939 he became part of the Marvel staff, (then call Timely Comics,) progressing to positions of Executive Editor, Art Director and Head Writer until March 1972 when he became Publisher of Marvel. It's a nice quick read, more so than some of that columns earlier topics. 

But on with the readers letters, first up is John W. Cheshire from Warwickshire who unfortunately only started collecting the Avengers weekly since issue 5. David McLoughlin from Dublin wondered how Captain America stayed alive in that block of ice? "Suspended animation" is the answer David, that and Marvel Magic, funny enough Doctor Strange is David's favourite character. S. Mulley from near Crewe thinks Marvel weeklies are great, but also asks why doesn't the Hulk's trousers rip off and why don't they fall off Banner after he returns to normal. "Artistic Licence" is the editor's answer, that and modesty. Finally for this week Paul Knight from Portsmouth who asks will we be seeing Immortus again? Oh yes we will.

   
 A double dynamite from magnificent Marvel with these two great hits. I guess they didn't have the Mighty World of Marvel cover ready to add to this in-house advert.

Doctor Strange "The defeat of Dr. Strange"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Steve Ditko

Inker: Steve Ditko 

Originally published in Strange Tales #130

Cover date March 1965

(Published in December 1964)

"The start of the greatest Black Magic spectacular ever presented..." and I hear myself saying "oh not Baron Mordo again!" But wait who's offering him "power without limit"? Now that's how you open a supernatural thriller. Most of the panel is black with only the light from a small candle and a portal into another dimension. Ditko really is the master of the mysterious. In this story he's playing all the aces, it's got me gripped.

The Baron uses his newly enhanced powers to confront Doctor Strange and his mentor, the Ancient One, in their mountainous retreat in far-off Tibet. Mordo and his fearsome followers surprise attack is more than a match for the two, but Strange manages to escape with the Ancient One. 

The Doctor evades the pursuit just as the Baron's newly gifted powers fade. But who was the might behind the surprise assault? A strained, limp hand belonging to the culprit, who sits on a throne in the Dark Dimension reveals that the Dread Dormammu was the hand behind the strike. Bending the intension of his pledge to never invade the Earth dimension as seen in the Avengers weekly #16, Dormammu operates his puppet followers to exact revenge on Doctor Strange. Can Strange survive when Dormammu's followers are everywhere? Find out in seven days, you can bet this one's going to be magical! So until then...

See you in seven.

Make Mine Marvel.

The lodger's terms are in disgrace!

 Week Ending 12th January 1974

Last week British Marvel promised "BIG CHANGES" to their weekly line-up, they didn't wait long to take that first big step into the new year. With the first full week of 1974 the Mighty World of Marvel and Spider-man Comics Weekly copied the Avengers look by having glossy covers, front and back. For a while at least all three would have a main full length lead feature story followed by a smaller or half length back up strip. That contents format wouldn't stay that way for long, there's more changes on the way for all three mags.  Personally I've always preferred the glossy covers, but I know not everyone did. I guess we'll find out more from them in future letter pages and in the comments left in this blog and on the social media sites where you found the link to this page. 

The Mighty World of Marvel #67

This psychedelic cover by Ron Wilson and Mike Esposito is stunning, much more eye catching than the bland Herb Trimpe cover featured on the Incredible Hulk #115 from which this story was originally taken from. It uses the same elements as the US version, the large looming head of the Leader over looking a frustrated Hulk, but by adding the Humanoids restraining the green goliath, then maximising the background colours to a crazy level Ron Wilson's cover turns everything up to an eleven! It's just has to be my cover of the week. Another thing that makes it my COTW is what happened to it when I read this comic on New Years day 2024. After watching a DVD I had gotten free with Vworp Vworp #6 , a great Doctor Who Fanzine that can still be bought, stick with me I'll get to the point, I switched off the Xbox and my TV went to a stand by mode which left the screen a blue colour. With no other light, yeah I watch the TV in the dark a lot, the blue light made the near by comic's trippy colours glow like a fluorescent rainbow that was both eerie and magnificent at the same time. A Serendipity that would please the Third Doctor.

The Pen Pals Swap Shop page gets cut in half to make way for news of a new competition coming very soon in which you can win your very own colour TV! Now in 1974 colour TV's are a big thing, the BBC only broadcasted the first colour programme at midnight on the 14/15th of November 1969, a concert by Petula Clark from the Royal Albert Hall, at time set by the Postoffice General as the date when the colour broadcasting licence began. Colour TV's popularity grew steadily, but in 1974, a chance for a child to win a colour TV was gigantic. All you had to do was create your own super-hero or super villain, what could be easier or most fun? The full details on this exciting competition in next week's mags.

The Incredible Hulk "Lo, the Leader lives!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Herb Trimpe

Inker: Dan Adkins

Originally published in The Incredible Hulk #114

Cover date May 1969

(Published in February 1969)

After last week's capture by the US army General Ross blusterers around thinking of a solution on how too contain the Hulk as Betty despairs at the fact that the Hulk will blame her for trapping him. The solution to both their problems may lay with Rick Jones so they make a call to his last known residence, the Avengers Mansion. How ever there is no one home except for a cleaning lady. Who says after the tragedy that has befallen them there has been no word from him. That tragedy would have been Captain America's apparent death at the hands of Hydra and Madame Hydra as seen in the US edition of Captain America #111 cover dated March 1969, published December 1968. British readers would have to wait till 22rd December 1976 in Super Spider-man and the Titans #202 to read that classic or the 1982 Captain America Annual from Marvel/Grandreams. 

It feels a little strange having a "cleaning woman" answering the phone at the Avengers Mansion, where was Jarvis? It very possible it might have been Jarvis's day off or they might have needed extra help, in my 70's child's mind I wondered could she have been Madame Hydra in disguise? In the US version a text box directs you to the current issue of Captain America for further details, in the UK version you are sent to the Avengers comic. Another change from the original was that pictures of the Black Panther and Hawkeye are blanked out presumably because the Black Panther hadn't been introduced to British readers yet. They could have left Hawkeye in, may be they thought that this story would be printed before he had made his first Avengers appearance in Avengers weekly #13. 

The General's predicament with the Hulk is answered by the return of the Leader, who it seemed hadn't died after using the "Ultimate Machine" way back in MWOM #27, only eight months ago on the 7th of April 1973, which seems like a life time ago, to a kid in 1974. These super-genius super-villains always have an escape plan. In this case the Leader had set up a special Humanoid android that would be activated immediately on the loss of his heart beat. In this story the gamma spawned genius admitted that the gamma radiation that he absorbed had allowed him to survive the actual heart attack in the long minutes before his Humanoid could reach him and carry him to a specially prepared "Revivor Beam", which makes some sense as in-between that issue and MWOM #28 the Hulk pondered what had happened to the Leader for a time and at no point was any of the Leader's back-up plan shown.

I guess the Leader is back for good, in those early adventures I was getting a little bored or the arch-fiend, when I see him in these stories I either think "Oh dear, the Leader again!" or "Oh yeah, the Leader again!" The Leaders plan to restrain the emerald giant is to hold him inside a plasti-thene prison. Plasti-thene is the same substance that the Leader uses for his Humanoids outer skin. So does the Hulk escape this predicament? To be Hulktinued, or at least that what it should say if not for the badly shading of the Hulk's pants in this strip. All you get to see is the word "HULK" and a "D!" at the bottom of the last panel.

The Mighty Marvel Mailbag

David Wilson from Coldstream wants to see printed the origin of Captain America and  a double page of Spider-man, I presume he means a double paged poster of the Web-slinger. He also wonders how did Don Blake's cane get to be in the cave, leading him to pick it up and become the mighty Thor. I've always assumed that the omnipotent Odin placed it there. David offers some suggestions too, a cartoon, but instead of Disney characters, Marvel ones could be used. A Marvel Team-up like Spider-man and Thor vs Doctor Doom. Cartoons, Marvel, Disney? That will never catch on, or will it? As for Marvel Team-ups with multiple characters, well who knows? John Mason Savage from Cheshire writes in to ask Marvel how the Human Torch got his power? (Didn't John read MWOM #1?) John also mentions that he and his friends are a gang called the SS, a sort of Secret Society, who I presume is a Marvel gang and not something else. Leigh Kemp RFO, KOF, FFF, TTB now gets to become a QNS (Quite 'Nuff Sayer.) after getting his letter printed. The point of his letter is to ask for Daredevil and the X-Men to be permanently added to the weeklies, although I suspect that it was to gain a QNS and brag about his other awards. Leigh how could you have a TTB, a Titanic True Believer, given to anyone who earns a No-Prize, if you hadn't had a letter printed yet with any No-Prize winning comment? A FFF is an honorary title bestowed for devotion to Marvel above and beyond the call of duty, again without a letter printed how did you receive that? Had he meet a Marvel editor in the past? Only joshing Leigh I'm sure you deserve them. Neil Huntsman from Colchester asks about the FF's and DD's origins, I guess like John Mason Savage in the aforementioned letter he too hadn't read MWOM #1 or MWOM #20 for the Human Torch and Daredevil's origins. He also asks how Iron Man's armour move's so easily? The answer is super-technology and Marvel magic.

After reading James Harrington's letter in MWOM #42, in which he asks for another Marvel mag to be published, this week Nigel Day from Morriston asks Marvel to not do it! His reason is as his Mother buys him one weekly and he spends eleven pence of his twenty five pence pocket money on the other two comics he has little left. Things are fine at the minute but you might want to ask for a pocket money rise around October this year! Simone Dean from Birmingham point out that in MWOM #52 the Hulk kills the Rhino but two weeks later in SMCW #35 the Rhino returns to battle Spider-man. The editor states that the encounter with Spider-man took place before he fought the Hulk, which is true in Marvel's main continuity but not so for British Marvel continuity. Where at that time adjustments were made to both stories to explain the Rhino's appearance in the Hulk story before he first appeared in Spider-man. The real, simple answer is that the Rhino didn't die, that is true both sides of the Atlantic. 

The Fantastic Four "The mad menace of the Mole Man!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Chic Stone 

Originally published in The Fantastic Four #31

Cover date October 1964

(Published in July 1964)

This story, like many others starts of with some hi-jinx as an earthquake shakes the Baxter Building which sets them off on a run of the mill adventure that sees the Mole Man as responsible for the quake, with his kidnapping of whole city blocks that sink downward into the depths of the Earth. Sue reads a headline in the newspaper and decides to stay behind to think, leaving the other three to go off and investigate the disturbance. More on that mystery man next week.

The FF return to the Baxter Building to get equipment to investigate the missing city blocks to find that Sue missing, leaving them a note saying she had to go to the Police headquarters downtown. A radio report alerts them that the very same block on which the Police station was has also sunk into the ground. The Mole Man and his Moloids are holding Sue and a number of citizens hostage which sends the FF to that site. The Mole Man dispatches the FF quickly to the surface with a a powerful jet of pressurised air, to be greeted by the Avengers. The earth mightiest heroes offer to face the Mole Man but what will happen to Sue and the other hostages if they do? Find out next week.

 Another dose of double dynamite from magnificent Marvel comes in the shape of The Avengers and Spider-Man Comics Weekly. With covers and adverts like these it's no surprise that like Nigel Day from this week's Mighty Marvel Mailbag you would want to be able to afford all three mags. So with that let's take a look at the next weekly from fifty years ago as Spider-man must face "The tentacles and the trap!" and Thor walks---"where mortals fear to tread!" in this weeks Spider-man Comics Weekly.

Spider-man Comics Weekly #48

This week Spider-man Comics Weekly cover is lifted directly from the cover of the Amazing Spider-man issue 54 by John Romita Sr. The only subtle differences are the slight colour changes in Doctor Octopus's costume and tentacles. In the original edition he wears an all green costume and his tentacles are a silver colour. I much prefer the green and orange costume that has become the standard for this four limbed villain. I also love the green tinged appendages too, I don't think that Marvel US ever coloured them that way, but they should have as they look very cool and eerie. 

 Spider-man "The tentacles and the trap!"

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: John Romita Sr

Inker: Mike Esposito

Originally published in the Amazing Spider-man #54

Cover date November 1967

(Published in August 1967)

What a title! "The tentacles and the trap!" No where else would that title be used, no-one but Stan Lee would have thought it up, never has a bizarre title made as much sense than that one in this comic. This story starts off with what looks so innocent as a new lodger enquires about a room for rent at Aunt May's home, but once you see that the lodger is Doctor Octopus and you see the imaginary shadow cast by the villain with it's menacing tentacles the story swings into intriguing mode. They even cover the last time Aunt May and Doc Ock have meet beautifully with May's over trusting dismissal of the facts. For all you "continuity connoisseurs" take a look back at SMCW #10 for that encounter. Another thing, have you noticed that Romita draws Aunt May exactly as Steve Ditko drew her. Well if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

As you can well imagine that after Peter gets round to visiting his Aunt to discovers who her new lodger is, things are going to kick off big style. Spider-man tries to lure the Doctor outside to battle him away from his Aunt. The villain sends his "Master Planner" henchman after the Web-slinger. Let's face it a group of henchmen won't stop Spider-man. But Doc Ock still won't come out and play. So Spidey has to come in and face him Spider. to Octopus. 

Aunt May hears the disturbance and goes up stairs to investigate. The shock of seeing Spider-man and Doctor Octopus battling in her spare room is too much for her frail heart to take and she collapses with a suspected heart attack. Doc Ock flees and Peter calls a Doctor. His verdict is that if May suffers a similar attack the results could be fatal. I do always wonder why with the number of heart attacks she has had, that she's very lucky to still be around. It must be something to do with that blood transfusion from Peter back in SMCW #2 and the special serum that she had to take to overcome the radiation from Spider-man's radioactive blood as seen in SMCW #27. She'll outlive us all. 

The Web and the Hammer

Zack Jacoisdes from London has two ambitions, one to get a letter printed and two to buy an American Spider-man comic, as he can't find them anywhere. Peter Robinson from Yorkshire buys all three British weeklies, He wants to see Peter get his own flat away from the fussing Aunt May and for Spider-man to have a partner like "Conan"???? So that Jameson wouldn't think of Spidey as a crook! Not sure how that one works. Paul Hoffman from Leigh-on-sea, seriously wants to know what happens to Sandman's lungs, heart and bones when he turns to stand. That. quite's a good question. He also wants colour pin-ups of Spidey and the FF and asks can Black Bolt talk? Every part of Sandman turns to sand apparently, well these stories are fantasy really. Black Bolt can talk but his conversation is a bit of a killer. Derek Macbod from Inverness want's to know why Spider-man had a broken arm in SMCW #39 but in the same week in the Avengers story from the Avengers weekly he doesn't?  The truth is events in the Marvel Universe don't all happen at the same time as these stories are printed. 

Martin W. Anderson from County Durham wants to see a Spider-man costume offer in the mags. Timothy Martin from Birmingham thinks it would be a great idea to have a competition for readers to design their own super-villains with the prize being a year's supply of SMCW or MWOM. Sounds like a fabulous idea, have the Marvel editors stolen Timothy's idea for next week's competition or is it all a coincidence? Amerzit Singh Bhamrg thought that it would be a nice idea to give away a free gift on the anniversary of SMCW. Martyn Beard from Oxfordshire, (There's a lot of Martin/Martyn's this week isn't there.) would pay for a large poster of Spider-man or Thor. Rosamond Clark is a girl who is interested in music but also likes to read Marvel comics. Her favourite heroes are Thor, Spider-man and the Hulk. T. Southall from Staffordshire wants the Hulk taken out of MWOM so that Daredevil and the Black Widow can replace him. They also want to see the Defenders in British weeklies, the Swordsman and Mantis in the Avengers, (Spoiler: all in good time.) and may be the X-Men as back up to the Defenders in their own comic. 

The Mighty Thor "Where mortals fear to tread!"

  

Writer: Stan Lee 

Artist: Jack Kirby

Inker: Vince Colletta

Originally published in Journey into Mystery #122

Cover date November 1965

(Published in September 1965)

The Absorbing Man boasts over defeating the mighty Thor, but his boasts are too premature as the Thunder God isn't beaten yet, so instead we get an almighty rematch between the two power houses until Loki transports the Absorbing Man to his side with an Asgardian "Attractor Beam"! Leaving a bemused Thunder God free to find Nurse Jane Foster.

Thor is quickly alerted to the cries of help from Jane Foster who is held captive by a masked abductor. Jane faints from the fumes of an explosion, quite handy that as she won't see what comes next, which is Thor changing into Doctor Don Blake. The transformation from God to man is captured by the camera of the masked man who turns out to be reporter Harris Hobbs! (Last seen in SMCW #33.) Who has arranged for Jane's peaceful abduction so that he could get an exclusive on Thor, which by the look of things has worked really well. 

Meanwhile, I love that word, it's the perfect linking device, Loki has brought the Absorbing Man to Asgard to help him overthrow Asgard, to which he agrees after being told that he can share dominion over the universe. They attack the throne room after defeating the palace guards, wherein the Absorbing Man is hopelessly repelled by a guard with an Asgardian mace 'causing him to absorb the properties of the weapon, transforming him into a living mace. What we end up this week is some cracking battle scenes from Jack Kirby that look great, none more so than this final page showing us Crusher Creel, the living mace! How cool is that!!? Can't wait for next week. 

The back page in Spider-man Comics Weekly offers up "Big changes" with Daredevil returning by popular demand to the pages of the Mighty World of Marvel. Yeah as we've seen we do get the glossy covers and an increase in page count up to 36 pages in both SMCW and MWOM this week, Daredevil is nowhere to be seen. OK technically the advert only suggests that big changes are on the way. The lower cover might be meant that before Daredevil returns you can still buy this week's issue, still "Now on sale". And also "Don't miss this week's Avengers". So we best not. Without further ado...

The Avengers #17

It's another original US comic cover slightly re-coloured for this week's Avengers. Created by Jack Kirby with inks added to it by Wally Wood, originally from Avengers #20. It's dramatic as it tells the story of what's to be found within, which is fine so let's find out how it went.

But before that there's a "Spot-the-difference" competition on the inside cover of this week's Avengers weekly. It's not run by British marvel but by Scalecraft by way of an advert. The first prize, worth £50 is a portable tape recorder and the ten top cassettes of your choice. While 100 lucky runner ups will win a Scalecraft snap-together kit. You could have a Messerschmitt ME109 plane, a model Jeep or a Mustang P51 model plane. Simply circle as many differences you can spot in picture B from picture A, then write in no more than ten words why you like Scalecraft kits. Send all that away with a cut out of "Scalecraft" from one of their kits, if you're a Scalecraft member you wouldn't need to do that as entry is free to you. Good luck, oh wait a minute, the closing date is the 8th of February 1974. I guess we're a bit late then. 

The Avengers "Vengeance is ours!"

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Don Heck

Inker: Dick Ayers

Originally published in The Avengers #20

Cover date September 1965

(Published in July 1965)

A quick re-cap from last week's issue, the Swordsman wants to join the Avengers so that he can get up to lots of bad things while pretending to be a good guy, but the Avengers soon see him for what he is, a crook wanted in a dozen countries. His next move is to force them into excepting his membership by capturing their leader Captain America. He lays out his demands with the good Captain tided up on top of a construction site. Just then Cap falls, or was he pushed? He in fact jumps believing that his group of young Avengers would have the skill to save him, which they do. 

Believing they have surrounded the Swordsman the want-to-be Avenger vanishes right in front of their eyes. Only to reappear in front of the Iron Man villain the Mandarin. In truth for British readers he has appeared against the Hulk more at this time than Iron Man. So until we get to see those Iron Man strips coming soon to Spider-man Comics Weekly we'll have to accept his desire to destroy the Avengers and Iron Man at face value. Over come by the Mandarin's greater powers the Swordsman agrees to follow the Mandarin's plan to defeat the Avengers. The first part is to send a holographic message from Iron Man to the Avengers to accept the Swordsman as a new member. With Iron Man vouching for him the Swordsman soon becomes a member. After a probationary period the Swordsman is accepted but the Mandarin demands he plant a device inside the Avengers mansion. Finding out that the device is a bomb the Swordsman changes his mind and tries to remove it but he's caught doing so which makes it look like he's doing the opposite. While escaping he manages to remove himself and the bomb which he detonates safely, regretting having botched his chance of joining a team of noble heroes. Will that feeling last? Who knows, only time will tell.

It's mail opening time

Oh goodness, I wish they would stick to a title for the Avengers mailbag. It really busts my chops how many they've had. But anyway let's get on with it, first up Robert Brindley from Winksfield, loves the Avengers and would love to live in a world where they and Captain America exist. Adrain Hooper from Norfolk wonders why Captain America says that an alien who can turn people into stone from the Avengers weekly #1 must have looked like a woman similar to the legend of the Medusa. I guess Adrain mustn't know of the Greeks legend. Kevin Bowman from Chester what's to know why if the Avengers is a British mag why don't they have Captain Britain instead of Captain America? Give them time. John Redford from Somerset loves the Avengers but also is a massive fan of the Sub-Mariner, John loves swimming too, he even has his own skin-diving suit and oxygen gear. 

Leonard Bullham Northants never really believed that British Marvel would bring out a comic featuring the Avengers but he's so glad they did as he's a Marvel fan for many years with a large collection of US Marvels. Harry Withers from Yorkshire thinks that even though Marvel editors stated that Giant Man was the maximum size to reach his maximum strength, there may also be a reason for his strength. As Ant Man he shares an affinity with ants who for their size are one of the most strongest living creatures, therefore that is also why Giant Man has incredible strength. I'm not buying that. I still think it's just a size to strength ratio really. Ralph Skelton from Chesterfield can't believe that more readers aren't fans of Doctor Strange as he's one of his favourite characters. One thing that does bother him is after reading a book on magic by Dennis Wheatley, in which it states that Black Magic is an evil kind of magic and that white magic is a good form of magic.  So does that make Doctor Strange, the Master of Black Magic a "goodie" or a "baddie"? Sidney Smith from Devon wonders is it true that Stan Lee gives lectures on Marvel Super-heroes to American colleges? If so would he be interested in performing them for British schools? Finally for this week, Gary Reeves from Ryton-on-Tyne has been a regular reader of MWOM since the first issue, only missing two issues when his newsagents had sold out. He's not making the same mistake with the Avengers, he gets it delivered to his home every week. His Dad pays for it when he pays the newsagent for his daily news paper bill, he doesn't even mind. Well you wouldn't as reading Marvel comics like The Avengers is a great form of education.

Doctor Strange "Beware...Tiboro! The Tyrant of the Sixth Dimension!"

Writer: Don Rico 

Artist: Steve Ditko

Inker: Steve Ditko 

Originally published in Strange Tales #129

Cover date February 1965

(Published in November 1964)

Don Rico used to work for Marvel's forerunners Timely Comics and Atlas Comics as an editor and writer, his most noticeable contribution to the Marvel Universe was the co-creator of Natasha Romanova also known as the Black Widow, with plotter Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. This story is another footnote in his Marvel career, all be it quite a good one. Doctor Strange is dismissed as a Black Magic expert fraud when he refuses to appear on a TV programme called "The twelve hour" Instead three "experts" panelists appear on the show and talk about a Pagen Idol named the "Screaming Idol" found by Professor Schuyler, one of the panelists, on a trip to Peru. The three panelists and a technician mysteriously disappear during the recording of the program. Doctor Strange is asked to investigated. Discovering that the Idol is a passage way to another realm, Strange asks his mentor what he knows of the idol. The Ancient One identifies the idol as an effigy of Tiboro, who used to rule in ancient times. 

Doctor Strange travels into Tiboro's realm where he finds the hostages and the evil sorcerer. Strange battles the powerful tyrant in hand to hand combat, then later magical combat. The odds are in Tiboro's favour until Strange calls upon an illusion spell that gives him time to cast a spell of paralysis on Tiboro's wand, causing him to admit defeat and release his hostages. After placing a spell of forgetfulness on the four Doctor Strange returns them to the TV studio seconds after they have been kidnapped. Tiboro vows revenge on the Earth sorcerer. He'll return in another great Doctor Strange tale like this in the future. Keep reading the Avengers weekly or this blog and we'll get to it. 

The back page features this in-house advert that had already been seen in last week's MWOM and SMCW, announcing upcoming "Big Changes" from Marvel,  We've had the glossy full colour covers and the page increase this week, but we'll have to wait two more weeks for the introduction of Iron Man in his own strip and the return of Daredevil to the Mighty World of Marvel. So stick with the Power of the Beesting and we'll rediscover how Marvelous it was to be a reader of British Marvel mags in 1974. 

So until next time...

See you in seven.

Make Mine Marvel.