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Post by Khyron1144 on Mar 8, 2015 18:41:09 GMT -5
Started hereFantastic Four Issue #1 cover dated November 1961: this is the book that starts the Marvel Age of Comics. So, the story introduces the Fantastic Four and explains their origin, shows how the public reacts when they first show up, and has them fight Mole Man and his giant monsters. That's quite an ambitious 25 page story. It's worth noting that the Fantastic Four wear civilian clothes rather than proper costumes throughout. Also introduces some important bits of Marvel Universe geography: Monster Isle and the first hints of the underground realms of Subterranea. Speaking of Monster Isle, this bit of dialogue tickled my fancy: Ben: Monster Isle! That's just a fairy tale! There's no such place! Sue: Only one way to find out, Ben! I am imaging a slightly different exchange: Ben: We're going to Monster Isle. Johnny: What's on Monster Isle? Ben: Giant monsters. I wish we were going to Candy Apple Isle. Johnny: What do they got there? Ben: Monsters, but they're not so big. The dialogue leading up to them going into space could only have been produced in the sixties. Sue: Ben, we've got to take that chance... Unless we want the Commies to beat us to it! I - - I never thought that you would be a coward! Well, the Cold War was a different time. Plenty of us vs. them thinking to go around. And this issue's winner for dialogue that's hilariously inappropriate when taken out of context: Reed: Grab me, Johnny boy!! That's it!! And Sue's power is sort of useless in a fight at this stage. |
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Post by Khyron1144 on Mar 8, 2015 18:43:58 GMT -5
Fantastic Four #2, cover date is January 1962, actual on sale date according to Kang's Time Platform is September 1961, which actually perfectly coincides with Ant-Man/Hank Pym's first appearance in Tales to Astonish #27. This issue introduces the Skrulls. So, sometime in between last issue, when the initial public appearance of the Fantastic Four caused a panic, and this issue; the FF has gained the public's trust and admiration. The Skrulls impersonate the FF and ruing their good reputation, resulting in their imprisonment. They escape. Mr. Fantastic's escape is rather nifty looking, as he pours his whole body out one rivet-hole. If you're guarding the Invisible Girl and she seems to disappear from her cell, is throwing the door wide open the absolute most intelligent way of investigating? Eventually FF finds the Skrulls, sneaks aboard the mother ship and scares them away. With pictures from Marvel monster comics. Seriously. Photos from their recent visit to Monster Isle seem like they would have been even better, but who am I to judge? I forgot to mention that at the end of the book, Mr. Fantastic hypnotizes the Skrulls left on Earth into being locked into cow shape. Which is a plot seed that pays off in the Kree-Skrull War in Avengers. And Sue's power was actually useful in a fight; she tripped a Skrull while invisible.
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Post by Khyron1144 on Mar 8, 2015 18:45:47 GMT -5
Skipping the Ant-Man story for the moment. Fantastic Four #3; Cover dated March 1962; December 1961 sale date according the Time Platform; other books out that month were romances, westerns, and mystery/monster code-approved horror light. This issue introduces the Miracle Man  Not this guy.  This guy. The Miracle Man actually does recur as a foe of the FF. He also gets killed by the Scourge of Crime in an 80s issue of The Thing. It starts with the FF watching a stage magician called the Miracle Man. He humiliates the Thing in an audience participation spot. Reed does some foreshadowing with this bit of dialogue: "I'm thinking that it is fortunate for us, and for the world, that the Miracle Man is not a criminal! "For if he were... "...He might be the one foe we could not defeat!!" Gotta love silver age lettering. Exclamation points everywhere. Also, when did the FF go from amateurs who dealt with giant monsters because they have powers, to law enforcement that could be expected to deal with super criminals? This issue introduces something much like the Baxter Building headquarters, although doesn't call it by that particular name yet. Also introduces the FF costumes. Ben's costume includes a helmet and a sort of jump suit or cover-all:  That helmet makes a comeback in the 90s. Miracle Man, does of course go rogue. The FF chase him down. There's a car chase, where in a moment of pure silver age silliness, Reed replaces a tire on the car  . Miracle Man is defeated. Johnny quits the team. Sue's power was sort of useful this adventure but more for spying than actually fighting, as such. |
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Post by Khyron1144 on Mar 8, 2015 18:49:11 GMT -5
Fantastic Four issue #4; cover dated May 1962; again, according to The Time Platform no significant supers titles on sale that month other than FF itself, that month being February because of the way periodical cover dating often works. So, this issue introduces or re-introduces Namor, the Submariner. Johnny has quit the team. The other three member search for him. Sue sips soda sight unseen  Somehow, it's only Ben, who has the bright idea to check the garage Torch is known to be fond of hanging out at, and sure enough, Johnny's there. They get in a scuffle. Johnny checks into a flophouse and meets an exceptionally strong bum. Torch shaves the hobo with his flame powers. The hobo is Namor. Namor finds Atlantis to be missing, a victim of underwater a-bomb tests. He's a bit miffed. He summons a giant monster whale humanoid thing named Giganto.  Giganto goes on a typical giant monster rampage. FF eventually triumphs and Namor and Giganto are beaten for the time being. Along the way, we find out that Namor is into Sue and totally wants to marry her and make her Empress of Atlantis. This issue is very important in terms of Marvel Universe universe building because it helps establish that those Golden Age Submariner, Captain America, and Human Torch stories are part of this Marvel Universe's past. Which paves the way for Captain America coming back, the construction of the Vision, and the Golden Age The Angel's return as the self-styled Scourge of the Underworld.
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Post by Khyron1144 on Mar 18, 2015 18:37:45 GMT -5
Incredible Hulk #1 On Sale March 1962; Cover Dated May 1962 Out in the desert, they're about to test the mysterious Gamma Bomb designed by Bruce Banner. General "Thunderbolt" Ross is skeptical: "Powerful forces! Bah! A bomb is a bomb! The trouble with you is you're a milksop! You've got no guts!" Bruce is holding the secret of the Gamma Bomb close to his chest and Igor wants him to show his work. There's a kid out on the test range. Bruce goes out there to warn him away. Ends up throwing the kid in the emergency shelter ditch. The bomb goes off and Bruce is hit with gamma rays and somehow still alive. The doctors check him out. The kid saved from the explosion is named Rick Jones. He does important stuff later. When the sun sets Bruce changes into the Hulk for the first time. A scientist on the Gamma Bomb project, Igor, is secretly a spy for the USSR. He signals his masters in Moscow. The Russians send a guy named The Gargoyle.  Not this guy.  This guy. The Gargoyle enslaves the Hulk with a willpower sapping pellet gun. He kidnaps The Hulk and Rick to Russia. The Hulk reverts back to Bruce Banner. Banner cures the Gargoyle of his weird medical condition of being a genius with a big head. In gratitude, The Gargoyle rockets Bruce and Rick back to America. Then, the Gargoyle blows up the Soviet base. At this point, Bruce transforms into The Hulk at night. Hulk is supposed to be gray, but color separations are not that good at this time, so he's not consistently gray. Hulk is articulate and has a grasp of personal pronouns. Memorable dialogue: Bruce: And now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for the final countdown! Ross: It's ding-dong well about time!
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Post by Khyron1144 on Jun 1, 2015 6:20:55 GMT -5
Tales to Astonish #27 first Ant-Man appearance (kinda) On Sale September 28, 1961 cover Dated January 1962 Fantastic Four #2 first appearance of Skrulls On Sale September 28, 1961 cover Dated January 1962 Fantastic Four #3 first appearance of Miracle Man; On Sale December 12, 1961; Cover Date March 1962 Fantastic Four #4 first Silver Age re-appearance of Submariner On Sale February 8, 1962; Cover Date May 1962 The Incredible Hulk #1 First Hulk, among others; on sale March 1, 1962; Cover Date May 1962. FF#5 and Hulk #2 dated July 1962. Amazing Fantasy #15 (1st Spider-Man) and Journey Into Mystery #83 (1st Thor) dated August 1962. Tales to Astonish #35 Ant-Man first costumed appearance as Ant-man; On Sale June 5 1962; Cover Date September 1962 This Link may be helpful in my researches July 1962 is going to be a busy month: Fantastic Four#7, Incredible Hulk #3, Journey Into Mystery #84, Strange Tales #101, and Tales to Astonish #36 December 1962 is Amazing Spider Man #1 and Tales of Suspense #39 (1st Iron Man) July 1963 is Avengers #1 and X-Men #1
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Post by Khyron1144 on Mar 23, 2016 14:31:00 GMT -5
Tales to Astonish #27 "The Man in the Ant Hill"  The first appearance of Hank Pym, the first Ant-Man, although he is not technically exactly Ant-Man here. I think I should mention that I'm working from the reprint in Marvel Masterworks Ant-Man Vol. 1. The story begins with a splash page depicting a blonde man being chased by ants that look giant-size relative to himself. Hank Pym is a blonde man in a lab coat. He's gloating over a doll house chair.  He pours some "growth potion" from a beaker onto the doll house chair, and it grows to be a normal size chair. He's invented a shrinking and regrowing formula. He's got big plans for shrinking. He feels he has proof of concept from one test on one chair and decides to try the shrinking formula on himself*. He shrinks. He shrinks so small, he can't reach the regrowth formula. He wanders into his back yard. He gets chased by ants and decides to run into their ant hill**. There's a scene where he gets stuck in some honey, which leaves me with some questions: is there a honey-making variety of ant? Is there a honey-stealing variety of ant? Would anyone have known the answer to either of these questions in the 1960s Marvel offices? He uses judo on an ant. He scares some off with fire. He's helped a couple times by a friendly ant that ultimately takes him back to his regrowth formula. And that's the end. It's a fairly short story. It seems to be a fairly standard mad scientist hoist by his own petard variety of science-lite science fiction that Marvel and other companies were doing in these days. Basically a Code-approved horror in all but name story typical for the time. *That is no way for a scientist to science. Really. A few rounds of animal testing. A larger sample size for human testing. These should not be alien concepts to a guy who can invent "growth potion". Also, no scientist should ever refer to the thing he makes as a potion. You're not a wizard, after all. **Truly a genius intellect at work.
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