Thursday 3 January 2013

January 1963 - Fifty Years Ago Today.

January brings with it a new year. And that can only mean one thing.

It's time to take a look at what our favourite Marvel heroes - and Ant-Man - were up to exactly fifty years ago.

Fantastic Four #10, Dr Doom

Is this the one where Dr Doom swaps bodies with Reed Richards?

More importantly, is it the one where he has the FF followed around all day long by floating Mr Blobby clones? What exactly was the reason for that? My fading memory furnishes me with no explanations.
Incredible Hulk #5, the first appearance of Tyrannus

Hooray! One of my favourite villains - and close personal role models - makes his debut, as Tyrannus shows us all just how to run a subterranean kingdom.

So impressed have I always been by this tale, that you can find a review of it, right here.
Journey into Mystery #88, Loki

That rarest of things, a Thor cover where the god of thunder isn't declaring himself to be doomed without even putting up a fight.

Good to see Odin being as useless as ever in a crisis, though.
Strange Tales #104, the Human Torch v Paste Pot Pete

"The most fantastic foe of all!" Stan declares on the cover. "And his unbeatable super-weapon!"

That's right. It's that epic bundle of awe the world knows as Paste-Pot Pete.
Tales to Astonish #39, Ant-Man v the Scarlet Beetle

Ant-Man may rarely inspire some of us but, this month, he does at least get to feature in what has to be one of the greatest covers in comic book history.

Why didn't the Scarlet Beetle go on to fight every hero in Marveldom over the years? Clearly there's no justice in the world.

If only he'd had the sense to wear underpants, like Fin Fang Foom, I have no doubt he'd have gone down in the annals of greatness.

5 comments:

Kid said...

FF #10 is indeed the issue where Reed and Doom switch bodies - or minds, depending on your point of view. The one with the floating characters following them was FF #17.

Steve W. said...

I see. Thanks, Kid.

Comicsfan said...

Gee, I'm tempted to pick up that Thor issue just to find out what Loki thinks is the secret of Thor's hammer. And I've simply got to know if Pete really made all of his paste in a pot, and why he felt inspired to create his name from the process. That would be like making your villain name "Syrup-Stirrer Steve," no? :)

Anonymous said...

I never read the Torch solo stories with Paste Pot Pete, but I remember when he made a brief appearance in the Avengers. He agreed to make a solvent to free them from Zemo's super-adhesive trap. I remember the Fantastic Four story from a reprint in Marvel Collector's Item Classics. Doctor Doom got hit with his own reducing ray and appeared to shrink out of existence at the end, but of course he returned in FF #16. Guess who teamed up with the Fantastic Four to defeat Doom in that one? Ant Man.

Steve W. said...

That Dr Doom tale was actually the first time I ever encountered Ant-Man and, because he rescued the Fantastic Four, it gave me the impression he must be the world's best super-hero. How little did I know.