Wednesday 6 January 2016

Fifty years ago today - January 1966.

Holy Ratings Winner, Batman! In this month of 1966, Adam West's version of the caped crusader made his American TV debut and our lives would never be the same again.

Mine certainly never has been. That's why, to this day, I still live in a cave, knee-deep in guano and communicate purely by squeaking.

But how did Marvel respond to this deadly threat from DC?

Here's where we find out.

Avengers #24, surrounded by bad guys

Even though I'm certain I've read it, I don't remember the story at all but it's certainly a memorable cover.

Daredevil #12, Ka-Zar crouching in a tree

It's that one where Matt Murdock runs away to sea for some reason that I can't remember and ends up in the Savage Land and blind for some reason that I can't remember.

I do though remember the Plunderer and his deadly, metal-melting gun. Or was it a sound absorbing gun? Or was it a sound emitting gun? I lose track.

I think this tale may have been my second ever exposure to Ka-Zar. My first having been the Hulk's earliest encounter with him.

Fantastic Four #46, Black Bolt

Black Bolt puts in his first full appearance, having made a one-panel smash at the end of the previous issue.

I do remember being most impressed by his foldy wings and his tuning fork.

I remember being impressed by the Inhumans in general, who seemed highly mysterious at the time.

Journey into Mystery #124, Thor, Hercules

Hercules shows up. Which is bad news for Thor's love life.

It's also bad news for the Demon who's the real antagonist of this tale but has to settle for being relegated to the bottom of the cover.

This is a huge shame as I was always taken by the cut of the Demon's jib and felt he deserved far more cover attention than he got.

Did he ever make a reappearance? I always felt like he should have done.

Strange Tales #140, SHIELD vs Hydra

It's not just the Avengers who're having trouble with encircling hordes of villains.

Hold on a minute. Are those Hydra agents using Hover Boards? Don't they know they were all recalled as being faulty?

Still, you have to hand it to them. They're nothing if not zeitgeisty with their technology.

Tales of Suspense #73, Iron Man vs the Black Knight

I don't know why but I always liked it when the Black Knight took on Iron Man.

I also liked Gene Colan's artwork on this issue, even though I'm fairly sure he was still claiming to be Adam Austin, which did always make him sound more like a 1960s secret agent than a comic book artist.

Tales to Astonish #75, the Hulk

I've no idea at all as to what happens in this one.

X-Men #16, Sentinels

I do believe that's the Master Mould, which would lead me to believe the Sentinels are involved.

I am somewhat concerned by the way the Angel's flying straight at that giant X at the top of the page though.

If he's not careful, he could find himself X-terminated.

Amazing Spider-Man #32, Man on a rampage

Is this one of the ones with Doctor Octopus as the Master Planner?

8 comments:

jim said...

Don't remember the story to Avengers #24 either (although I loved them & read them over & over). But, I do remember that cover & thinking (at the time) how very convenient it was that the ONLY bad guys who were shooting their ray guns were the ones shooting them DIRECTLY at Cap's shield. Ha Ha Stupid bad guys!!

Anonymous said...

IIRC, Avengers #24 had the kooky quartet going to the future and fighting Kang.

Anonymous said...

Those look like Kang's boys, allright. They always wear different armor and carry different-style pop-guns. No uniformity in the future!
I liked the Demon too. Some Asian warlord who became a major theat when he got his hands on a Norn stone, whatever that is.
I want one!
M.P.

Ant Master said...

Remember those Kang a the elite culled from various time period hence the lack of uniformity. And that gun is the anti shield gun, originally created by paste pot pete.

Anonymous said...

In Tales To Astonish #75, Sub-Mariner was on a quest to retrieve Neptune's Trident or something, but he had to abandon it to rescue Lady Dorma. He spent most of the issue carrying her unconscious body around. He finally got home and dropped her off where his scientist friend could treat her with a healing ray. Then he went off to fight Warlord Krang or Attuma or whoever was trying to take over Atlantis that month.

The Hulk was trying to rescue Rick Jones, who was in prison for knowing the Hulk's identity. The Hulk went to Washington DC to ask the president to intervene, but he got into a fight with the military. They zapped him with an experimental ray gun invented by Bruce Banner, and he got sent into the future. IIRC, he ended up fighting an army there, too. Don't remember if it was Kang's, though.

Steve W. said...

Thanks for the info, Anon. And thanks to you all for your info and comments.

Will Dockery said...

I noticed that it was around this series of Sub-Mariner stories that Namor's head goes from the traditional flat to completely round. I wonder if this was Gene Colan's idea or Stan Lee's?

Steve W. said...

It's a good question, Will. I recall that Sal Buscema always drew Namor with a flat head, regardless of what any other artists did.