The Incredible Hulk #6

 "I hate havin' to become that weakling Banner all the time!"

This is the final issue of The Incredible Hulk... for now. It's one of the better issues- not least because the art is by Steve Ditko rather than an increasingly overworked Jack Kirby. But it's also illustrative of how the title, which apparently wasn't selling well, could fail. 

The villain, who will only have a handful of future appearances. is yet another generic all-powerful alien conqueror. He isn't very interesting, and nor is the trite manner of his defeat- although it's interesting to see Rick Jones establish the Teen Brigade, a bunch of teenage radio hams!

But the interest lies elsewhere, as Stan and Steve experiment a lot with the format, trying to make it work- as it clearly doesn't. The gamma machine, as a gimmick to change Bruce to the Hulk and vice versa, doesn't really work narratively- why shouldn't Bruce just stay as himself? Surely any peril sufficient as to involve the Hulk should be rare? It's suspicious how many threats emerge in his vicinity. After all, why should the Metal Master, who wants to conquer all of Earth, start by attacking this particular military base in New Mexico?

So this issue has the gamma machine be unreliable, perhaps an unacceptable risk, along with such silliness as the Hulk having Bruce's head and having to wear a mask! Interestingly, we seem to end with Bruce deciding to remain as himself, and distrusting the machine. It'll be interesting to see how this develops.

Also, to what extent are Bruce and the Hulk different people sharing a body or variations on the same psyche? Rick tells us at one point that Bruce is "not always responsible for what the Hulk does or says". Yet the Hulk- who has been fairly verbally eloquent right throughout, far from the "Hulk smash!" persona of later pop culture- apparently remembers most of Bruce's science knowledge.

Fortunately, we know with hindsight that The Incredible Hulk will eventually be tweaked and will ultimately succeed. But it certainly needs a break and a rethink at this point. 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 6

 "Doctor! That thing is my son!"

This is a somewhat darker instalment as we learn more of what is going on. There are a few introductions here (Rutans, Movellans, the Brig) but we're more than half way through now, so it's a case of developing and interweaving already established plot threads rather than starting new ones... but still with that same masterful plotting which seems effortless- and, if something seems effortless, it is certainly no such thing.

There real darkness here, though- the Valeyard is turning Time Lords into a new race of Daleks... and poor Leela, an old lady whose family means everything to her, realises that her husband and children have all become Daleks. That's bleak. So is the fact that the Tenth Doctor is undergoing conversion- and the process seems somehow to have started for Eight.

The Valeyard's new face after regeneration is described as "vaguely familiar", mind- but not to me. something's clearly going over my head at this point!

That aside, though, it's a wonder, and a credit to Rich Morris, how easy this is to follow with so much going on, and how each character gets their amount of time in the spotlight. No character dominates, no character is neglected. Thus far, The Ten Doctors hasn't put so much as a foot wrong. 

Dexter: That Night, a Forest Grew

 "Pardon my tits!"

Oh me. back to Dexter again (recovering well from my op) and what an episode.

Where to start? Well, there's the manifesto from the "Bay Harbour Butcher". Dexter thinks he's being clever by writing it, putting the FBI off the scent with distracting nonsense. But he's too clever be half, perhaps? Because Lundy sees clearly what the manifesto's purpose happens to be, and accurately concludes that the killer is linked to law enforcement. Meanwhile,his manipulation of Doakes gets his rival suspended. Again, though, too clever by half? Doakes won't be giving up, and he sort of has this habit of never actually being wrong about anything.

Worrying that he's going after that nice Camilla lady, mind. Her line about being scheduled to retire next year feels worryingly like a kind of dialogue Chekhov's Gun- if she was fated to retire, surely that line wouldn't be there?

Ultimately, this episode is all about relationships and change. Rita finally sees how controlling and abusive her mother is (perhaps explaining her choices of men?) and banishes her. Deb banishes her sexy but ordinary boyfriend and comes on to the urbane, cultured, wise and much older Agent Lundy... and it seems to go well. But is she thinking straight? She's very upset at Dexter leaving Rita and shacking up with the obviously dangerous Lila.

And... ah yes. Dexter and Lila's relationship blooms, on the surface. Really good sex. Excitement. Yet... as we see Dexter supporting Cody at his school assembly thing, Lila sets fire to her valuable artwork, the one she's actually sold, in order to manipulate Dexter into staying with her and away from Rita. Which is... deeply creepy and controlling. She's a paradox: genuinely the cause of keeping him away from his "addiction" to killing, but oh so very dangerous...

Dexter has just got even better. 

Carry On Up the Jungle (1970)

 "Game?"

"Any time, if you are."

This is... well, there are some good one liners, the cast is good as ever (although Kenneth Williams is glaringly absent)... but, well, it's hardly the best of the series.

Why? Well, there are the moments that make one wince- Bernard Bresslaw in blackface, the jokes about the "natives"- but this is a Carry On film from 1970 set in deepest Africa: such things are priced in.

Then there's the obvious cheapness. This is set in Africa yet clearly shot on a set in Hertfordshire, so much so that it feels almost claustrophobic at times. There are various lions, elephants and giraffes... all of them very obviously stock footage. If all of this were made into a joke, it would work... but breaking the fourth wall is not the Carry On style. Also, Terry Scott as Tarzan is... a courageous bit of casting, to put it mildly.

Perhaps I'm being a little harsh here? After all, the Carry Ons are coming off a run of very strong films, but might that be the problem? Is Carry On Up the Khyber going to prove impossible to top? I suppose the script and performances are as good as ever here, and it's certainly good to have Frankie Howerd again after all this time. But this film just feels... well, cheap.

Journey into Mystery #90

 "Arrest that costumed pest!"

This... may be the most inconsequential comic yet, more skippable Larry Lieber stuff, this time without even the art of Jack Kirby, even if on these stories he phones it in a bit, to make it better. Basically, it's neither good nor particularly interesting, and the Xartans (another alien race) will be making only token, novelty future appearances. In short... Thor, at this point, is not very good.

There's more of the tiresome love stand-off between Donald Blake and Jane, each afraid to declare their love to the other... although, this time, Odin officially orders Blake not to reveal his identity, which is unhelpful.

The baddies are, well, a precursor to the Zygons in Doctor Who in that their plan for world conquest involves an ability to impersonate people, as long as they hold the original person as prisoner. Their plan is bonkers, though- impersonate those in power, implement ridiculous laws, and they invade with their battle fleet in confusion!

This issue has the most bonkers ending yet. Thor throws the alien warlord into the sky, right into space so the battle fleet turns around and goes after him. As for the Xartans on Earth, it's the old Skrull cow trick again, getting them to turn into trees and, as trees, lose their sentience forever. Blimey, that's dark. 

But yeah, moving swiftly on... 

Crimes of the Future (2022)

 "Surgery is the new sex."

From looking at the iMDb rating, this film isn't rated very highly. I'll come straight to it: I think it's brilliant. Those who dislike it, I suspect, were looking for something else. David Cronenberg doing body horror again after all these decades, after all, creates certain expectations. People will expect this to be like his body horror of the '70s and '80s. And, yes, there's some of that. Yet, like all Cronenberg's films of the last decade or two, this is entirely a film of ideas.

It's a future set in a pleasingly low budget society, claustrophobic, studio bound, beautifully and artistically shot with precious little nature to stop Cronenberg being in total control of his artistic environment. Only the first, shocking sequence, with its plastic bin eating and its graphic scene of filicide, takes place anywhere near nature.

No: this is a world in which both pain and infection are things of the past, and surgery is therefore a light matter, while the human body is evolving fast (let us briefly handwave away that this isn't how natural selection works, just as Saul handwaves away the impossibility of traits arising from surgery being inherited) in order to survive in a plastic, polluted environment.

Only in this world can exist a couple like Captice and Saul, using the routine surgery of the removal of his emerging mutant body organs as performance art. This despite the scepticism of the Detective to whom Saul is reporting, who scoffs at random emerging organs being “Picasso, Deschamps, Francis Bacon, perhaps?

Yet there is also a blatant subtext of surgery as sex, as fetish. This is, of course, not the first time Cronenberg has explored such themes, and one may certainly raise an eyebrow at this. 

Body horror abounds- tattooed organs, a zipped abdomen- but the ideas just keep coming in this thoughtful, disturbing dystopia. Cronenberg has most certainly still got it

Fantastic Four #12

 "Miss Storm, a pretty young lady can always be of help- just by keeping the men's morale up."

Ah, General Thunderbolt Ross. Such a feminist paragon. So is Reed, who replies "That's just the way we feel about Sue, General!"...

Anyway... ladies and gentlemen, with this crossover, between what are, as of the beginning of 1963, Marvel's biggest properties, we can sort of say that this is a shared universe. A caveat, though: the existence of crossovers, nothing new in comics in 1963, do not a fully formed shared continuity make. Yet. But it'll be fun to see that emerge, develop and evolve.

Anyway, we start with some fun little moments. Ben and Alicia have been to see a performance of Beethoven's Fifth, although Ben prefers New Orleans jazz. And, when Thunderbolt Ross hires the FF to get the Hulk, blamed for a naughty bit of sabotage, Reed comments, after seeing some footage, that the Hulk seems to exist, implying that this had been in doubt. Er... pot, kettle, Reed? 

Johnny, teenage auto whiz that he is, has redesigned the Fantasti-car, by fan demand(!) with a very impressed General Rossas its first passenger. And the FF meeting Bruce Banner and Rick Jones is a big moment.

Of course, the Hulk is innocent, the true culprit is- you guessed it- a communist spy, caught by the Torch after, er, leaving a membership card in his wallet. If only today’s Russian spies were this rubbish.

The fight between Hulk and the FF (and especially the Thing!) is both enormous fun and no longer than it needs to be. All is satisfactorily resolved- and it’s left nicely ambiguous whether Reed suspects Bruce of being the Hulk.

Excellent stuff, and a real watershed.

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 5

 "Who's this bloke, Professor? And why's he sound like he's from the south?"

Five instalments in and, well, let's just take for granted that all the praise I lavished on the previous four apply equally here, shall we? Charm, glorious art (I particularly love the yellow splash of deep colour on the Cyber tombs or whatever they are), incredibly complex storyline which somehow works, fanwank in the best possible way, characterisation... you know the drill. 

There's a twist here- the Sontarans want to take over everything, including the Federation, both Dalek factions and the Time Lords, working with the Master whom, of course, they in no way blatantly intend to double cross, much as the Master in no way so blatantly wishes to betray the War Chief that it's literally a given. Glad that's settled. 

I love the older Leela's firmness with the Eighth Doctor: this is her family and her life, and she won't be fobbed off by (ahem) the "old one". But not as much as I love the fact that the Sixth Doctor and Maxil actually meet, to considerable Renegade Dalek confusion. It would have been a terrible missed opportunity were this not to happen.

Lots of other delights here, of course, such as the Sixth Doctor getting to say "spack off", but Nyssa getting her bloodthirsty revenge on the Master for what he did to Tremas and Traken is deliciously cathartic... and, of course, she handwaves it away to her Doctor with an"I'll explain later"! We even get a cheeky appearance from the Devious Doctor.

Ha;f way through, and I'm very much loving this. 

 

 

 

Strange Tales #107

 "Oh well... boys will be boys!"

Two Strange Tales Human Torch stories in a row... sometimes that's just how it goes. As a reminder, I'm going by the Complete Marvel Reading Order. It's early days as yet, but I'm hoping to get at least as far as the early '90s.

Anyway, this issue is good fun. It's pretty much entirely the Torch challenging the Sub-Mariner to a fight, nothing too serious or acrimonious, and having fun with that while giving both of them bizarre one-off powers (Namor with, er, puffer fish powers?) just because Johnny wants to prove himself to the rest of the FF... but then proceeds not to tell anyone when he beats the Sub-Mariner. This is top japery, though.

And once again there are interesting points to note. Reed is still smoking that pipe. The FF are taking notes of their exploits to Stan and Jack... and Sue did the typing, naturally! The Torch doesn't know how long his flame will last until it goes out, so he'd better not be in the air at the time!

Oh, and you know how this issue acts as though the bends is not a thing? Don't try this at home, kids... 

Children of the Stones, Part 1- Into the Circle

 "I deny the existence of that which exists."

Happy day!

One episode in, and I'm hooked. No, actually... I was hooked by the deeply atmospheric opening titles, with the uncanniness of both the music and the splendidly unsettling way the stones (actually the Avebury Stone Circle) are shot. The mood throughout is utterly superb.

And so are the performances. A pre-Blake's 7 Gareth Thomas as Professor Adam Brake gives us a charismatic lead. Iain Cuthbertson, as landlord Mr Hendricks, is... well, the jovial yet unsettling character that Cuthbertson always plays, which is a very good thing indeed. Even the kids can act.

And, of course, there's the sheer joy of seeing the England of 1977, the time and place of my birth. the cars, the fashions, the shop interiors, the bikes, the hairstyles, even the very 1970s style woo and nonsense- ley lines and all that, so deeply ingrained that Adam can pooh pooh ley lines at one moment and then happily plan some "electronic dowsing" in the next.

Best of all, though, is the gradual unravelling of what's going on. Some of the kids are "happy" and others are not. And being "happy" seems to mean genius intellect but also blind obedience... almost a kind of psychic link and control? And then there's the mysterious painting, Matt's weird visions, and that cliffhanger...

This is very good stuff. 

This is very good stuff. 

Strange Tales #106

 "You landed your fish!"

So the story here is meh, and the forgettable baddie- the Acrobat- is barely a recurring villain. This is eminently skippable... almost.

Because there's one thing here that really is awfully clever in how it subverts the secret identity trope. I've commented before on how Johnny's secret identity is absurd and here we have confirmation, from the mouth of Sue, no less, that... yeah, everybody blatantly knows that he's the Torch, and he's the only one who didn't know that they knew. I love that.

Oh, and Johnny very briefly leaves the FF in order to very briefly join the, er, Torrid Twosome(!) because an arrogantly pipe-smoking Reed (wonder when he'll be last soon doing this? It's hard to notice when something is done for the last time.), who incidentally is a millionaire, refuses to allow Johnny a salary (from "reward money"- the early FF are still crime fighters as opposed to explorers) in favour of scientific research. Is it me, or is that totally unreasonable? Is being on the team not a commitment that would preclude a full time career?

Not a particularly great issue, then, but this certainly raises some questions about the FF. Oh, and another baddie with a beret? Is it open season on Bohemian existentialists? Will Johnny be battling Jean-Paul Sartre next?

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 4

 "And you, stop fretting. It was nice."

There are only so many times I can praise the tone, the art, the charm, and the sheer fun of this without constantly repeating myself, so just take it as read. But I'll simply note, once again, that the sheer complexity of the plot- now with even more characters- somehow manages to be a breeze to follow.

I love the Rani's reaction to Glitz coming on to her, as well as that he isn't actually selling Davros a sample of Lazar's Disease (Yes, he WOULD do it, such a power would set him up above the gods and all that) but simply "Gumblejack liver oil", which is at once very much in character and top example of all the subtle references. These scenes also help to alleviate a concern that had been evolving in my mind- that the Seventh Doctor was somewhat overshadowing Two. That's much less the case here... and didn't Troughton always used to remain on the edges of the screen?

The clash between Six and Four is interesting... although, so far, Four feels the Doctor most left in the background. I love the reaction from his subsequent selves when he's hurt, though. Oh, and, of course, even more characters! Winifred and Captain Jack, who know each other because of course they do. Grace Holloway... and a lovely little cameo from Martha before the events of Smith and Jones, which is set after this but had been broadcast by now- nice moment!

And yeah... love the moment of mistaken identity with Romana being revived by Grace's kiss! Also love that UNIT have glitter guns because of Sarah Jane (must cost a few bob!) and the Tenth of all Doctors meeting the Valeyard...

Still having enormous fun. I'll keep these coming thick and fast. 

Gen V: Bags

 "What if I kill him?"

"That's why we name them for assholes." 

A goat called Elon. Presented as an expendable bag of blood that blows up gloriously. I'm sure there's a subtext here, but it's beyond me. Still, this levitation scene sure beats the one in The Empire Strikes Back.

Anyway, I'm back blogging this after such a long time with my condition getting worse, the resulting surgery, and my ongoing recovery from that, meaning it's been less easy to focus on television episodes. But I'm back now, cheerfully admitting how I'm so very far behind. And it's good to be back with Gen V. Naturally, Jordan's confession is disbelieved with all sorts of on point but extremely nasty resulting transphobia which, sadly, reflects the MAGA-polluted world in which we live. 

There are some nice character touches, though. Cate (whose powers are still on the blink in, er, gnome-related ways, starting to reconcile with Marie, Jordan and Emma. There's Ally and Harper looking up to Emma, perhaps helping with the low self-esteem aspect of her powers... and Greg, a possible new love interest.

But, well... my probably wrong hot take? I wonder if Cipher is just an overly sinister red herring? He's very mysterious, manipulating Marie since she was born, the whole purpose of Odessa, training her to be the most powerful supe ever... as a possible not-evil rival to Homelander? Even the fight between her and Jordan (their chemistry remains sweet) ends positively. He's very mysterious- a dad on life support in a locked room, no V in his blood but powers to use people as puppets. But is he actually well-meaning?

I know. I'm naive. But this is another great episode, and not only because of the pooing scene... 

Update

 Fear not... I haven't abruptly switched this from a primarily film and TV blog to a comics blog!

I'm recovering from surgery, and the first couple of weeks it was difficult to focus on screen stuff, so that's the only reason it's been mostly on temporary hiatus. But the good news is that I'm improving, so the screen stuff will resume- so both Gen V and Dexter will resume immediately, as well as films mostly at the weekends. Unfortunately, I didn't quite get to the end of Batman: The Animated Series so something will be replacing it imminently.

This remains a primarily screen focus blog, with added novels and albums as and when. The Complete Marvel Reading Order will continue, though- it's not particularly time consuming. Same with the Doctor Who webcomic The Ten Doctors. There isn't much of it and I have the time at the moment. I'm off work recovering for another three to four weeks, not very mobile and having to be careful with the stitches but perfectly able to consume media, read, think and write. So expect more content than usual!

Fantastic Four #11

 "I haven't exactly got any super powers, but I can wiggle my ears real good, and..."!

Here we have the debut of Mr. Mxyzptlk the Impossible Man, an omnipotent yet irresponsible trickster. I suppose the half of the issue dealing with him is amusing and entertaining enough. And, although I know this is an incidental detail, I'm surprised to see s police officer in New York referred to as an "inspector". This is the usual term here in the UK at least, but I get the impression that the USA (San Francisco aside, I think?) uses military titles like "lieutenant" or "captain" instead?

Be that as it may, the first story, supposedly depicting a day in the life of the FF and with no external threat, is much more fun and interesting- even if it does have the Thing turning back into Ben Grimm for five minutes yet again, and yet another origin retelling. 

We get some comic relief with some fan letters, and then we meet "Mr. Lumpkin"- no first name as yet. 

The FF are all dressed in very Mad Men type fashions- this is still (just!) 1962, after all. And Reed is seen smoking a pipe once more! 

We get some fascinating backstory. Reed and Ben are old mates from uni, so therefore of a similar age, and both are veterans of the Second World War, so can't be any younger than about forty. Sue, meanwhile, is described as Reed's childhood sweetheart- so the age gap must presumably be less than we might have previously assumed, despite Sue having a (much) younger brother in his late teens? But we're reminded, once again, of the love triangle with the Sub-Mariner that is sadly keeping them apart. This may not exactly be deep and three-dimensional relationship drama, but at least it convinces more than certain parallel situations. Looking at you, Donald Blake and Jane Foster...

This is good stuff. At this point Fantastic Four is the best Marvel ongoing title, although no single issue has reached the heights of the Spider-Man story in Amazing Fantasy #15. 

 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 3

 "You boys need to be supervised!"

Three chapters in, and not only is this brilliant, full of so many nice little touches, in terms of both character and the best kinds of fanwank both overt and subtle, but... well, it's incredibly complicated, its plot a truly tangled web. But somehow it works. It doesn't confuse or overload the reader. Yes, I suspect part of this is the fact that we're having so much fun that the threat of plot fatigue doesn't arise, but we have some masterful storytelling here. And that's in terms of both plotting and (integral to the medium) in terms of the visual storytelling of the art. The little notes at the bottom are a nice touch too.

I mean, the only gripes I have are over two ridiculously nitpicky things. One is that the Third Doctor at one point addresses his archenemy as "my dear old Master", whereas at no point on screen does this Doctor ever directly address the Master as such, and never does- and this can be no coincidence, given the amount of screen time they have, implying a rejection of the Master's claimed title.

I'm also uneasy at the sight of the Celestial Toymaker reporting to Omega. I don't think I'm being influenced by The Giggle in any way when I say that I've always seen the Toymaker as a more powerful, ineffable being than even the most legendary of the Time Lords. The Celestial Toymaker, rubbish story though it is, portrays the character as basically a god. Then there's the novelisation of The Nightmare Fair and the character's appearances in various novels...

That said, I gather from the notes that there's a reason for these two being paired, so I'll reserve judgement. And any gripes I may have are far outweighed by the sheer awesomeness. As well, of course, with the wise and righteous rejection of any nonsense about the War Chief having been the Doctor Master (oops, typo!).

There's so much to praise, though. The plot may be complex, but it makes sense, and the fact that we know all the characters (Drax!Leela! K'Anpo Rimpoche! A full hat trick of K-9s!) is a useful narrative shorthand. The hints about the Keeper indeed being the Valeyard are delicious. There's the intriguing mystery of certain characters not recognising certain Doctors. And... yeah, Leela should never have married Andred.

I may well end up zooming through this. 

 

 

Journey into Mystery #89

 "A girl so beautiful would never marry a... a weakling like me."

 This is, it has to be said, an entirely skippable issue, but the whole point of this exercise is to skip nothing and read every comic set in what will soon be the Marvel Universe for as long as I want to keep going- and, at the moment, I expect that to be, at least, the early '90s. After that, we'll see.

The story, concerning a bog standard thug and the complications of Thor's secret identity, is... forgettable. Thor should be about bigger things than this, but the series has yet to work it out. Hence this story, with yet another origin retelling and more focus on the deeply uninteresting love triangle between Donald Blake, Jane and, er, Thor.

Things worth noticing? Well, Thor literally steals from a mannequin shop, however much he may insist that he intends to pay later. Jane daydreams of life with Thor, said dreams  consisting mainly of household chores and... cutting Thor's hair short? Begone with thee, Delilah! We men with long luscious locks want nothing to do with your sort.

Interestingly, Odin recognises Blake as his son. And... Thor now officially has ventriloquism powers! But ultimately... my fellow completists aside, you can skip this one.

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 2

" A gilded tomb is still a tomb."

Soooo much happens in this splendid little instalment, and I certainly have no intention of trying to describe the plot in any way. Suffice to say that there are an awful lot of plot threads and the stakes are very high. But more important than any of that is the wonderful way that Mel's screaming is treated.

Because, yes, the cast gets even bigger at this point. Mel, Sabalom Glitz, Nyssa and the Garm for good measure. Sarah Jane, with her K-9, on the blower to a delightfully realised Harry Sullivan in late middle age, a rather meta yet very touching glimpse of a world in which Ian Marter hadn't died so young. The Rani. Alpha Centauri. And Eight meeting a Keeper of the Matrix who looks "familiar"- the Valeyard, perhaps?

 There's so much superior fan service to enjoy here, right from the very beginning, as a Sontaran and a Draconian discuss Dalek continuity and how, by sending the Doctor to meddle with the Daleks' origins in Genesis of the Daleks, the Time Lords ensured that Davros would survive, meaning the Daleks would in turn survive the Movellan virus.

The fact that the Chameleon Circuit never really gets fixed is rather interestingly lampshaded. it's established that the TARDIS's own internal time is always relative to Gallifrey's present. This story is full of such inspired ideas.

And yet the charm, the characterisation, the winsome quirkiness of the art, are what really keeps the reader hooked. I'm recovering nicely from my op, and I'm going to plough right on with this... 

 

Strange Tales #105

 "A trick? The Wizard needs no tricks!"

We seem to be getting quite the spate of return appearances by villains at this point, showing that Marvel has been around for a good year or so and is no longer quite so new. But still, this is very early days by any standards, as illustrated by the fact that we still have these Torch stories in Strange Tales.

To be fair, though, this is fairly decent stuff, and even fun. We get to see the Wizard in the Order's first prison break. And the rest of the issue is a fun little duel between the Wizard and the Torch, with Sue joining in for good measure. it's essentially set piece after set piece until it's time for the story to end, but all good fun. It is, of course, absolutely bonkers, and everything tends to rely on the Torch demonstrating some highly convenient one-off powers, but I'm sort of used to that by now.

But... well, not much more to say. At least Larry Lieber managed to entertain me this time. 

Tales to Astonish #39

 "You impudent midget, I'll snuff out your life as I would a candle!"

There's only so many times that I can say that these Ant-Man stories are bonkers and... well, silly, but not that good. And, while there's some amusement in the concept of radioactivity (what else?) given a beetle superhuman intelligence, something from the monster stories for which Tales of Suspense had mostly been known, and rather reminiscent of certain B movies...

Well, this is just a bad comic. The beetle acts as a demagogue to other insects, except ants which remain conveniently loyal to Ant-Man. It enlarges itself in a way an insect simply couldn't do, given the air's current oxygen content. And the defeat of the beetle involves the use of... DDT? Wow. Still, it's October 1962, and Rachel Carson literally only published "Silent Spring" a couple of months ago. Still... wow.

I say this with a bit of a side eye at the Torch stories in Strange Tales, but these Ant-Man stories are very poor. Then again, I haven't really got any impression of what Marvel's competition was like in 1962. Perhaps this kind of quality is par for the course?

Fantastic Four #10

 "Lead me to that little ol' ray, daddy-o!"

It's fascinating seeing the evolution of these early issues- and, overall, Fantastic Four is a far superior comic to Ant-Man in Tales of Suspense or the Torch stories in Strange Tales, especially. Oh, there's bonkersness, certainly, but also moments of real quality.

So the plot is fairly straightforward- after being thrown into space in #6, by a million to one chance Doctor Doom was rescued by the extra-galactic and extremely powerful Ovoids, an alien race we'll be encountering a handful more times in the future. He learns body swapping powers from them and swaps bodies with Reed, and hi-jinks ensue, hi-jinks which seem to come to an abrupt end as Doom's body swap is ended by the shock of his being found out, and it seems to have been a one time deal...? Anyway, he's shrunk out of existence, so we definitely won't be seeing him again, right?

This is more than a little bit bonkers, but it's also fun. And there are quite a few fascinating little details here. The opening scene, with Reed studying Sue's invisibility, is a nice moment. Alicia is described as Ben's "girl friend" and by this point is considered a friend to the whole team. And, er, Sue at one moment has to deal with a sexual pest who, even though it's 1962, the comic makes clear is intended to disgust us... and then causes a motor accident through sheer carelessness. Yeah.

Reed and Sue have a fascinating discussion concerning the love triangle with the Sub-Mariner, in which Reed states that "I thought we had an understanding" for "when the time was right". Yet, in these early issues... Reed seems to be, say, in his forties? And Sue, the Invisible "Girl" has a teenage brother, so are  we looking at a twenty year age gap? Nothing wrong with that, of course, provided that the younger party is old enough to give fully informed consent, but it's very striking.

We also have our first instance of the fourth wall being broken, as Stan and Jack appear, albeit with faces obscured. These are still early days, but the feeling of potential with this book is getting stronger and stronger.

Strange Tales #104

 "Paste is the supreme weapon!"

Er... what did I just read? 

Paste-pot Pete is easily the most bonkers and rubbish returning villain marvel have given us so far and, incredibly, he's going to be sticking around for decades... albeit with a rather less bonkers relaunch in the near future.

Still, let's summarise... his modus operandi is to shoot a special sticky paste from a paste gun. He has a purple beret. Oh, and the paste? He literally carries it around with him in an open bucket. Surely the bonkersness of this cannot be topped. Oh, and the name? Words quite fail me. And he uses said, er, powers to not only rob a bank but to steal a missile in order to sell it to "any red nation".

And, well... what else is there to say? It's a Strange Tales Human Torch story. The Torch still has his secret identity for some reason. There's a fun little predicament with an ICBM. And Pete, joy of joys, escapes in the end.

I think I've seen enough to conclude that Larry Leiber, as a writer, just isn't very good. 

Journey into Mystery #88

 "The Sun is melting my convertible!"

Let's start by briefly running through the plot, shall we, and marvelling at its bonkersness as we often do?

So... after the events of issue #85, Loki is returned to an Asgard that now shows some hint of how superbly Jack Kirby will render it. He's grounded by Odin, but spies on Thor, essentially by reading last issue in an almost metatextual touch(!), and learns all about Donald Blake and the sixty second rule. He then tricks Thor and seals away his hammer, forcing him to remain as Blake while Loki gets to all sorts of magical mischief in New York. Unfortunately for Loki, though, Blake has a cunning plan involving a suspiciously realistic plastic dummy of Thor and what can only be described as ventriloquism superpowers.

So far, so bonkers. But there are a few things about this issue to make us ponder. One is that, at long last, they've finally settled on a surname for Jane Foster. We also have an intriguing contradiction as to the ongoing question of which is the true self- Thor or Blake? Loki describes Thor as "his accursed true self", yet Blake refers to himself as "my normal self". And then there's Loki- at this point they're still leaning heavily into the "god of mischief" side.

Thor is still, like much of what will soon become the Marvel Universe, working out what it wants to be, issue by issue. And that's fascinating.

The Incredible Hulk #5

 "Listen, daddy-o, I know your secret... and still I tremble when I see 'im!"

Two stories this time, both rather silly, but both rather fascinating for various reasons, not least of which is the fact that the basic format of The Incredible Hulk- that stress makes Bruce become the Hulk- is still not quite there yet. 

First up we get the introduction of mildly prolific villain Tyrannus. One the one hand he feels like a more developed version of the Mole Man, similarly living underground... but, of course, this isn't necessarily a problem as there's still no actual hint (the use of unstable molecules in both Fantastic Four and Ant-Man is arguable but rather tenuous) that all this is yet envisaged as a shared universe.

Still, Tyrannus has at once a deeper and sillier backstory, having been banished underground by Merlin (mentioned once before in Fantastic Four #5) in ancient times, but he's still alive because he has the actual Fountain of Youth. Oh, and he's conveniently found some subterranean-dwelling and scientifically knowledgeable willing slaves down there, which is somewhat convenient. So, yeah, let's pause for a moment to marvel at the bonkersness of all that.

Oh, and he fears the USA's "atomic might", because every Marvel issue at this point just has to allude to the fact that this is the atomic age at some point. 

The actual story is... well, a series of silly set pieces, and the Bruce/Betty relationship is as basic and superficial as that of Don Blake/Jane. It'll be interesting to see if and when that ever changes.

The following story is another riff on the oh-so-ubiquitous theme of "hero fights communists", but there's some interest in the fact that Red China is persecuting a thinly veiled Tibet here, just a few years after the historical invasion in 1959. We also have Taiwan being referred to as "Formosa", yet another reminder that 1962 was an awfully long time ago.

Most interestingly, though... this is not the "Hulk smash" version of the character, not remotely so. The Hulk isn't really unambiguously different from Bruce, personality wise, and he defeats General Fang via an idea he researches in a book! Oh, and they're still using that machine to change the Hulk into Bruce and vice versa, but we get hints that perhaps, one day, the Hulk may refuse to change back into Bruce. Ominous, and also fascinating to see them slowly working through how they want the lore to work.

Bonkers stuff, but there's a lot of interest here. 

 

Tales to Astonish #38

 "The ants will not be able to resist the temptation I offered! For I have appealed to their greed, and their vanity!"

Yep, ants. Definitely known for their, er, greed and vanity... 

That said, if you accept the sheer bonkersness of it all- which we shall certainly get to- this is rather good. Moderately important villain Egghead is introduced, and he's a surprisingly decent character- his genius undermined by his careless arrogance. It's a nice touch that the story occurs from his point of view as he tries to set his trap for Ant-Man, with Henry Pym not even appearing until page five. 

I love how he's introduced- it's known, but can't be proved, that he's tried to sell atomic secrets to the highest bidder. I assume he could just deny it and keep his job, but nope, arrogance it is, so he's forced to use his apparent genius for criminal purposes.

And so Egghead learns, as Pym did before him, to communicate with the ants. And, er, yes, it's all electronic, but he communicates with them in rather nuanced and abstract concepts which, I assume, would require some kind of language. That's a stretch in itself. But, er, how come he, and indeed Pym, seems to speak fluent ant? Best not to ponder such things. Or indeed how ancient his car looks from the vantage point of 2026.

It's a rather neat and fitting resolution- Egghead defeats himself by his own arrogance, not realising that the ants are Pym's willing friends... although he does rather make them do things that are not great for their wellbeing. But, again, perhaps not dwelt on. By the standards of 1962, this medium hardly being seen as great art (I know: Marvel will get better), this is one of the better Ant-Man offerings. 

Journey into Mystery #87

 "Imbecile! You will pay for this blundering!"

This is... well, it's an utterly inconsequential placeholder with Thor versus, you guessed it, Soviet communists. Eminently skippable, as there are no wider implications as to Marvel lore and there only so many ways one can comment on the use of communists as crude, one note cartoon villains. 

So we get another outing for the Donald Blake / Jane /Thor ironic love triangle. We also get strong indicators, once again, that Thor is basically just Donald Blake wielding the powers of the ancient thunder god. Although, despite the strong early indications that this is the case, with Don being the one who decides to use himself as bait to investigate the scientists disappearing behind the Iron Curtain, we end with Thor asking Odin to destroy the Soviet fortress in what must be the most literally deus ex machina scene yet.

We do, it must be said, have a pit of sharks, which is splendid. But, unless you happen to be a fellow completist, this is eminently skippable. 

Fantastic Four #9

 "I like a woman with spirit!"

I must admit, this issue is bloody good. It's a quirky and intriguing central concept, and there's some good characterisation- particularly with regards to the Sub-Mariner, a very nuanced character.

From the very start, the FF are broke, bankrupt, selling all their stuff and dissolving what seems to be their business partnership. At first I thought this would be a ruse- but no. They genuinely are broke. Their once colossal wealth (at last it's confirmed where it came from- Reed's patents) is all gone, thanks to Reed's bad investments. And this is a nice touch, I think. Reed may be a genius, and may plausibly have been overconfident in his investments.

We also find that Alicia, only introduced last issue, is already a regular character, with a nicely nuanced relationship with the Thing. This sort of thing really adds depth and nuance. And yes, it may be silly that the issue starts with Sub-Mariner watching telly in his solitary undersea home... but the framed picture of Sue is a nice visual touch.

Namor, of course, is plotting to get Sue for himself, so he offer the FF... ahem, one million dollars(!), no doubt a princely sum in 1962, for a film. But the three men are all lured into traps and, well, Johnny's is vaguely racist! I love how Reed's trap seems to literally be the actual Cyclops (no, not that one, not yet) from The Odyssey. 

The ending is... well, Namor's behaviour towards Sue is more than a little #MeToo from the perspective of 2026, but it's a satisfying conclusion, with the Sub-Mariner feeling honour-bound to pay up, ending the team's financial woes.

After all the bonkersness I've trawled through... well, this is still very Silver Age but it's genuinely good. 

Strange Tales #103

 "Guess again, Zemu! I have a lot of powers you don't know about..."

These Human Torch stories seem to be very simple, formulaic and reek of Saturday morning cartoons... and this is no exception. Interesting that the Torch still seems to be of school age, but otherwise there's little of wider relevance here. Oh, and it is, of course, utterly bonkers.

A load of new houses are sinking, but not from something like running sand. Indeed, there seem to be rumours of "swamp demons". Johnny investigates... and, yep, it's aliens from the Fifth Dimension, no less, whose generic dictator Zemu wants to invade the Earth, because that's what alien baddies do.

Not much really happens- the Torch is captured and placed in a liquid tank, but in a bloody jammy stroke of luck he's freed by rebels, and is able to take the fight to Zemu by using a series of obscure powers he has which are highly convenient to the plot. Oh, and he incites a rebellion by sky writing... they read English in the Fifth Dimension then? But let us not open the "how come these aliens all speak English" can of worms.

So... yeah, thirteen formulaic and eminently skippable pages that I'm blogging only for the sake of completeness.

Tales to Astonish #37

 "I'm caught inside a vacuum cleaner!"

And so we turn again to Tales to Astonish, and Ant-Man. What can we do other than to embrace the bonkersness? 

I know this happened last issue, but... well, Ant-Man hears of trouble via his ant agents, has himself transported to the scene of the crime by miniature catapult, with ants on top of a shop awning breaking his fall. Shall we just pause here and marvel at the sheer magnificent insanity of this>

Then we have the villain, the Protector. He is, essentially, just a bog standard protection racket, but nonetheless he has a supervillain costume and name, because of course he does. Oh, and a disintegrating ray, although to be fair the Scooby Doo ending makes clear that this is just an elaborate conjuring trick, so that's all perfectly sensible then.

Oh, and before Ant-Man can save the day he has to face the twin perils of a water pistol and a vacuum cleaner. That is not a sentence that I expected I'd be writing when I woke up this morning, to put it mildly.

Embrace the bonkersness. What more is there to say? Are all these Ant-Man stories going to be like this? 

Fantastic Four #8

 "Sufferin' snakes... what's that?"

I'm happy to say that, while being utterly mad as one would expect for 1962, this issue was a rather fun read, even if I did raise an eyebrow at Reed being able to use his elasticity to absorb bullets... and fire them back!

This is the first appearance of long-running FF villain the Puppet Master, whose bonkers voodoo abilities have come about because of... radioactive clay. Of course. What else? His puppetry skills are highly impressive, though, to say the least. He even makes a little model prison governor grab a key ring from a little model desk drawer, which is positively superhuman/

We also meet Alicia, shown here as a very naive damsel. From her first appearance she likes Ben, but (Yet again, Reed briefly turns the Thing human again) prefers him on the rockier side. a surprising amount of their eventual dynamic is here already.

Puppet Master himself is surprisingly one note here, and his apparent death makes it seem as though he may not necessarily have been intended as a recurring villain at this point. But it's a good, solid story with lots of set pieces and the team feeling very well-established at this point. A huge improvement from last issue. 

The Incredible Hulk #4

 "Wow, was that cat for real?"

These early issues of The Incredible Hulk are, while variable in quality, strangely thoughtful and philosophical at times. Yet it's also fascinating to see how they take so long to settle on the rationale for the Bruce Banner changing into the Hulk. It's no longer a day/night thing, but even by the end of the issue they're far from sure of what they ought to be doing.

After a nicely non-linear start we get back to Betty Ross and a nice character moment- she pines for Bruce, she's noticed he's been a bit off ever since the Hulk... and, more to the point, Bruce is missing. So Betty tells her rather dim father that, juuuuust perhaps, Rick Jones might have some connection to Bruce and the Hulk. So Thunderbolt Ross grabs Rick and demands answers- a tricky situation as Rick could find himself in trouble here.

 The format of the series at this point is so very interesting. Rick can command the Hulk. The Hulk seems stuck in that form, unable to change to Bruce. Rick ultimately uses the machine to change the Hulk to Bruce... and at this point there's no other mechanism for doing so.

Then we have another twist, as Bruce uses the machine to become the Hulk but keep his intellect... but there are interesting hints of personality changes. And these continue into the second story, which had me laughing out loud. So many of these early Marvel issues have throwaway one-off aliens or communists as villains, so of course we get an alien who is really a plane full of Soviet communists in disguise.

We end with some scenes of the Hulk saving people but still being feared and hunted, something I suspect won't be changing... and Bruce and the Hulk can still only change bodies via the machine! 

Strange Tales #102

 "I... I challenged the Human Torch and I lost! I am beaten!"

Oh dear. I know Marvel will get good fairly soon, but still... 

We get the introduction of long-running FF baddie the Wizard here but... he's rubbish. This is a genius, wealthy inventor, home full of his own futuristic inventions, chess champion, escape artist, celebrity... yet he can't even work out the Torch's blatantly obvious secret identity, what with his sister Sue openly being the Invisible Girl...?

The opening immediately dates this, with cinema newsreel footage(!) recounting the events of last issue. But we then devolve into the Wizard's rather dull attempt to frame the Torch (why?) in a typically lacklustre script from Larry "Nepotism" Lieber. I did chuckle, though, at the fake Torch writing "Down with law and order" in the sky.

But... well, not much else to say about this throwaway bit of rubbish which, despite all else, at least introduces a baddie with staying power. And (not for the first time) featuring a disturbing quantity of asbestos. 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 1

 "Too many Bakers spoil the crust."

Firstly... I've started blogging this, but I'm still only two days after my operation, I need to recover a bit before properly blogging something so crammed with character and lore moments, so bear with me. Love the metatextual nature of the above line between the Fourth and Fifth Doctors though.

While there are hints of a complex overall plot, the events here are fairly straightforward. It's just after The Runaway Bride, so we ought to disregard everything screened after that- including Time Crash. The Tenth Doctor is pining for Rose in the Eye of Orion, when all the past Doctors, plus companions turn up, except Eight, who is in a particularly complacent era on Gallifrey. The Master has plans for him. Meanwhile the Galactic Federation is concerned about mysterious mass deaths, for which an uninvited Sontaran blamed the Daleks, and accuses the Time Lords of arrogant indifference.

But, of course, this is about far more than plot. It's about character and... well, yes, fan service, but of the superior kind. It's about the perfectly judged, part-cartoony artworks, and the little visual Easter eggs outside the panels at the edges. It's about the many monsters amongst the Federation- including the Foamasi and the Mentors of Thoros Beta. It's about Maxil working, it seems, for the Master.

But mostly it's about the Doctors and companions- and  I particularly like the subtitles in which Rich Morris explains his reasoning. While I have to frown at his embrace of the whole Season 6B nonsense, the characterisation is exquisite. I love Rose's increasing exasperation to Nine at his long string of attractive female companions, prefiguring School Reunion. I love Three's concern at Nine's relationship with her, cue Seven's reference to Nine's "second midlife crisis", and when asked about the first- Six gets the perfect entrance!

It's a nice touch to have Five, Tegan and Turlough arrive just after the events of The Five Doctors, and for Four to have Romana do all the exposition for the "not-mes". Overall, yes, this is necessarily set-up, but it's a very strong start. 

It'll probably be a few more days of recovery from the op before I continue with this, but I've started! 

Surgery Update

 I've had my surgery and all is well- the problem has been dealt with. I'm in a bit of pain and will need to be careful not to strain myself too much for a bit... but I'm able to consume media and blog, plus I'm off work for a bit. I'm back!

Journey into Mystery #86

 "I'm happy to play a part in keeping the free world strong and secure against the forces of tyranny."

Yes indeed, those are Thor's words as he happily helps the US military test out a "cobalt bomb". Welcome to 1962, folks. 

This is, I suppose, a pleasingly early introduction of a lasting villain, albeit a lasting one, so a welcome relief from all these one-off alien and communist baddies we seem to be getting at the moment. But, I mean, it's not actually very good. Basically, the year 2262 is some kind of generic peaceful utopia but Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man, is an evil scientist with a lust for war and conquest as his only personality trait. He travels back to 1962 (and yes, it's explicitly 1962 here, and I'll be commenting on the "Marvel Time" theory as we go) to nick the cobalt bomb, uses it to conquer the Earth of 2262, but Thor time travels to stop him, after a few ho-hum set pieces. That's it. Not much cop, really.

Some potentially interesting things, though. Zarrko has "Earth's only time machine", so either Doctor Doom's time platform has been forgotten or this isn't all quite meant to be a shared universe yet. Thor summons Odin so he can time travel, our first extended look at the All-Father... and appears, at this point, to be the actual Thor of Norse legend. Is he just Don Blake with Thor's powers? Is he actually Thor? Is this a case of dissociative identity disorder? Things are getting confusing. Donald Blake certainly pops up at the end, and the sixty second rule is in play...

Not a great comic, then, but arguably an important one. 

Update

 Tomorrow I'll be having surgery. I may be pretty much fine after a day or two, but there's a possibility I may be groggy and on painkillers for a bit, so you may not see me for a few days. I don't know which way it will go.

 After that, though, I'll be off work for an indeterminate number of weeks to recover from the op. And that will hopefully mean a lot of blogging! 

Tales to Astonish #36

 "Welcome, yankee! I have been expecting you!"

Not a bad story from Larry "nepotism" Lieber here, with a nice twist at the end about the identity of our latest communist baddie, the rather unimaginatively named Comrade X. But crikey, this is bonkers. 

We fully explore the expansive and increasingly absurd ways that Henry Pym can get ants to do his bidding. He ends up trapped in a glass jar, not the most dignified of situations. And he ultimately saves the day by... untying the villain's shoelaces. I kid you not.

Not only is the plot bonkers, though, we get some extra background here, and it's utterly mad. Ant-Man always knows when he's needed, because the ants tell him... best not to think too hard about the details there. 

Even madder, though, is his lab, which is equipped with an "ant sized elevator" as well as a catapult(!) to transport him to his situation, with ants breaking his fall. Ok then...

Not sure what to say about such levels of bonkersness as this. What can I do other than just go along with it? 

A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

I don't, personally, know a lot about drugs. Yes, and without commenting on whether I ever indulged or not, like every forty-something I've been in circles where hash and weed were a thing, but beyond that I've never knowingly interacted with actual drug culture beyond, well, popular culture. I've read some William S. Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson, I've read and seen Trainspotting, that sort of thing.

But, well, I drink, so at least I have that experience of altered states of conscience as recreation. I consume caffeine too. Beyond that I cannot go, because that way potentially lies madness, death or worse, and I want to live a long and happy life. But such experiences are fascinating to read about, this extraordinary novel especially.

This novel really shows the lived reality of a junkie, the hopelessness, the squalor, yet also the philosophical musings. It shows the fickle and double-crossing nature of human relations in a world always defined by one's next fix. It's a truly compelling glimpse into a fascinating nightmare. 

Yet this is also a novel of ideas... and of irony. The irony of the novel's final twist, and the irony of protagonist Bob Arctor's situation: a narc who is forced by the circumstances of his job to himself become an addict. The result is tragedy, yet perhaps with an ambiguous note of hope. But this novel will linger in the mind for a good while. Philip K. Dick, whose own life was blighted and no doubt shortened by addiction, poured his soul into it. More so even than Infinite Jest, this is one of the truly great novels about addiction.

Strange Tales #101

 "A commie sub!"

So now we have a regular solo instalment for the Human Torch in the pages of anthology book Strange Tales... and it begins with the Torch racing, rather alarmingly, an "atomic powered guided missile". What could be more atomic age than that?

And yet... it's quite good. We have a one off villain called the Destroyer who, given the nature of his dastardly scheme, has absolutely no reason to wear a supervillain costume, but let's go with it. Because the plot, while not completely free of bonkersness (we are, naturally, facing communists), is actually pretty solid, and I was impressed by the twist at the end.

But that's about it- a nice little one-off tale. What's interesting is the set-up, though- Johnny is living with Sue in the small town of Glenville. Hilariously, and alarmingly, he has an asbestos room to sleep in, and we even get a plan of it. And... Johnny has a secret identity, which he spends much of the story frantically trying to hide from his friends... why? Sue doesn't have a secret identity, they're siblings, so surely it's obvious that Johnny is the Torch?

 Still, overall, this is fine.

Fantastic Four #7

 " A portable self-contained TV receiver! Amazing!"

This issue is... well, as silly as any in the surprisingly disappointing run of Fantastic Four up until now. I mean, Kurrgo, Master of Planet X? Another random alien, who begins the issue with some old-fashioned "as you know, Bob" style exposition? Even so... there have been worse issues. Like, say, the last one.

I suppose there are a few interesting points, like the probable influence of The Day the Earth Stood Still on the robot (with its "atomic scanner") sent to collect the FF. But the over-the-top horseplay between the Thing and the Torch is just too much. And we have a highly advanced alien civilisation which faces imminent doom but can't flee their planet because they literally couldn't be arsed to build more than two spaceships. Yes. literally. This plot makes zero sense.

But then the ending becomes truly bonkers. Reed saves the population by shrinking them to fit inside the two existing ships... so how will they pilot them now? And then Kurrgo just randomly dies of hubris, and Reed decrees he never actually created an antidote but just lied about it. Er... 

I'm sure Fantastic Four will get good fairly soon. Right? 

Journey into Mystery #85

 "Well, eh, it's all in your point of view!"

After last issue being a fairly dull story about Communists while setting up the dynamic further between Donald Blake and Jane Nelson(?), this time things are pretty damn good. And seem to be heralding a significant change in the status quo.

Thus far, Thor has just seemed to be Blake inheriting the powers and form of the ancient Norse god, with no suggestion that the Thor we see here literally has the mind of the actual deity. I don't think that unambiguously changes here by any means, but things start to blur.

And that's right from the start. Because we suddenly see the rainbow bridge of Asgard, where the booming heavens roar. And we behold with breathless wonder... a tree. Loki has been trapped there for a very long time by Odin, and naturally the consequences of this in terms of mental health are just handwaved away, as this is ruled by the logic of myth. But he plays a clever trick on a freshly introduced Heimdall, and he's off to Earth for revenge on Thor... whom he seems to believe is his actual stepbrother.

And... the contest between them is very wacky but huge fun. Loki turns three New Yorkers into, er, negatives. Thor resolves this by using his hammer (said for the first time to be made of uru) to create. er, "anti-matter particles", which in no way swells like a one-off power for convenience. Loki hypnotises Thor, but he's saved by the hammer's sixty second rule. And... well, Thor, or Blake as Thor, which ever he is, says Loki is "According to the ancient legends, the most cunning and wicked of all the gods". So... does he know of Loki only by legend? Does Thor, at this point, have only the mind and memories of Blake? At this stage, I still think so.

We end with Loki (water is his weakness, apparently) returned to Asgard, with cameos from Odin, Balder and Tyr. This is a rather good issue, and the world of Thor suddenly feels much bigger.

Tales to Astonish #35

 "But they'll be stopped... by a mere rubber band and some thread, among other things!"

Right after Fantastic Four #6, in this story we get a second mention of unstable molecules- a possible first hint of a shared universe?

This, as with previous issues of Tales to Astonish, is one of several tales in what is an anthology book. Henry Pym is back, after an initial appearance that I suspect was intended both as a one off and not really as a superhero concept. This time, though, he has a costume, and a headset that lets him control ants(!) to the point of actually riding the things.

I won't say much about the actual threat- yep, it's communists- but, well, the newly coined Ant-Man is not exactly an alpha superhero, simply being able to shrink and control ants. Some of the consequences of this are well thought through, though, such as a character instinctively trying to rub him off his skin, feeling that unpleasant sensation we all do when we've an insect on our arm.

There isn't much to this, really, the character feels a bit generic, and I'm not sure how much mileage there is in the concept. Still, we'll see. And the cover is simply great.

Fantastic Four #6

 "Hahahaha! Who can doubt the genius of Doctor Doom now?"

This is... well, very silly indeed, just like all previous issues of Fantastic Four. There's some very bad science- a magnetic "grabber" that attracts all objects, not just those containing iron; the Baxter Building being lifted up, taken into space and yet returned afterwards as though nothing had happened; the Sub-Mariner bounding from meteor to meteor in space... this is completely mad. Also, oddly familiar, as I was halfway through reading this when I realised I'd seen it before. In 1966 there were several short-lived and very cheaply animated cartoons based on Marvel characters, including the Sub-Mariner, and it turns out this issue was adapted. It was bonkers there and its's bonkers here.

So the less said about the plot the better. Surprisingly, despite some strong characters and solid potential, Fantastic Four so far has been very silly and, well, not that good, really. We can only plod on and hope things improve, as they seem to be doing with The Incredible Hulk.

There are some interesting things to note in terms of lore, though. The Baxter Building is named for the first time, and we get a rather cool diagram of what all the secret rooms contain, various vehicles and so forth, including a "long range passenger missile" capable of reaching anywhere on Earth... once again, though, how can the FF afford this, as surely many nation states could not?

Other firsts include the mention of unstable molecules, out of which the FF's costumes are made. And the first hint of the Thing's rivalry with the Yancy Street Gang! But... well, at this point, Fantastic Four just isn't very good.

The Incredible Hulk #3

 "If I make one false move now, it'll be curtains for this cat!"

After a so-so second issue, this one is pretty damn good. It introduces the Ringmaster and his circus (not yet the Circus of Crime) who are pretty solid minor villains who we'll see a fair amount of over the years. Yet the key strength of the issue is the thoughtful way it looks at the title's status quo and makes some changes for the better.

We begin with Rick Jones supervising as the Hulk languishes in the stone undersea prison that he and Bruce built for him- with Dr Banner turning into the Hulk as night falls. Yet, with a rather underhanded ruse, General Thunderbolt Ross tricks Rick into helping send the Hulk into outer space. This little ruse is soon rather conveniently undone, but the point is clear: Stan and Jack had realised that the whole night/day thing just wasn't going to work. Hence the Hulk receiving an extra dose of space radiation... and Rick discovers, to his surprise, that the Hulk can now exist in the daytime. And he has to obey Rick, for good measure. 

Not only that: the Hulk is beginning to look more like the iconic image we know, with those purple trousers with holes in the knees. His speech is getting less articulate. And, by the end of the issue, it's unclear when, or if, the Hulk will change back to Bruce Banner.

If I have a criticism it's the retelling of the origin story- we really don't have to do this every other issue! But it's both amusing to reflect that, er, Bruce just shoving Rick into a crevice in the ground apparently gives him total protection from the gamma rays(!) and interesting to see that the Hulk, in this flashback, is shown as grey. The change of colour is actually diegetic. Unecessary retelling of the origin aside, though, this is pretty damn good.

Journey into Mystery #84

 "We will test your courage as you face my firing squad!"

After Thor gets an exciting debut... well, this second instalment is very ho-hum. And I rather suspect that this noticeable downturn in quality may be down to the fact that the script is not by Stan Lee but wholly by his younger brother: nepotism is not the most solid of hiring practices. But we'll see, over time, if Larry Lieber does in fact get to impress me.

The plot is very silly. A fictional Latin American country called San Diablo is facing civil war between two factions, one of them a bunch of commies and the other pro-American supporters of democracy because those are, of course, the only two ideologies that could possibly exist in 1962. There's a very silly communist villain, the Executioner, whose USP is his penchant for sending people to the firing squad at the drop of a hat.

This is a very perilous situation, but nevertheless an American medical mission is somehow sent to help, all volunteer doctors and nurses who agree to head towards what must surely be certain death as the Executioner wants them dead. That'll do for the plot: let's just say that Thor saves the day.

There are some interesting bits of lore, though. Again there's no suggestion that this is the actual Norse god Thor. It's revealed that Donald Blake was holidaying in Norway last issue, and that he's a doctor. He and his nurse, Jane Nelson (not Foster?) both fancy each other, but neither will ever reveal it through lack of confidence. Yes, that trope. But, oh irony of ironies... Jane comes to fancy Thor more.

Still, this is frankly a bit rubbish. They can't all be good, I suppose, but this is still early days.

Journey into Mystery #83

 "Well, it's a cinch that skinny gent isn't Earth's secret weapon!"

At first, it seemed this issue (or, rather, short 13 page story) was going to be very silly indeed. I mean, the Stone Men from Saturn? Evoking the Toad Men from Incredible Hulk #2, with their "atomic" force fields and Easter Island faces?

And yet... with allowances made for the fact that this is fairly early in the Silver Age, I find this to be a rather good comic. Yes, it's annoying that Donald Blake is described as being on vacation in "Europe", as though our diverse continent were an undifferentiated mass, and it's very silly Blake should fail to see the alien ship just behind him. Beyond that, though, this is all good stuff. The costume design and initial splash page are particularly good.

Fascinating, after finding the cane, which becomes the hammer (unnamed at this point, at least in the comic), Blake still remains himself as he explores and discovers the powers he's been given by the hammer. There's no indication that he's literally the Norse god in question, simply a worthy man who's discovered an artefact giving him the powers of Thor, whom we would naturally infer at this point was a figure from the deep past. Indeed, as he turns back into Blake after spending sixty seconds not touching the hammer, there's more than a whiff here of Bruce Banner and the Hulk.

But this is all good fun, with the exposition around Thor's powers and the way he defeats the, er, Stone Men from Saturn. A solid start.

Enola Holmes 2 (2022)

 "You really are a nincompoop!"

It's been a while, but I've finally got round to seeing the sequel, in large part due to the pleasure of some truly exquisite company last night! And not only was it a thoroughly enjoyable experience, but I noticed in the credits that the writer was one Jack Thorne, whose distinguished career has included Adolescence among other things (must get round to that!) and who is, rather interestingly, rumoured as a possible new showrunner for Doctor Who... but we'll see.

The script is superb, working perfectly both as a murder mystery with twists and turns which all makes perfec sense at the end but also as a fun, watchable drama with a light touch, lots of fun and lots of wit. It's also, as last night's exquisite company remarked last night, based on the match girls' strike, a very real historical event, and the scandal with white phosphorus was a very real thing.

But Millie Bobby Brown yet again carries the whole thing with aplomb, a truly talented leading lady despite her youth, carrying the whole thing with wit, charisma and those delightfully quirky asides to the camera. To say that she carries the whole thing means a lot given the cast we have here- Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes and Helena Bonham Carter as their mother Eudoxia, in particular. I love the little Sherlockian moments, and it's clear from fairly early on that the film will end with Holmes meeting Watson.

In the end, then, a splendid film. A pedant may observe that the film is set in 1885, too late for Holmes meeting Watson and too early for the match girls' strike (Sarah Chapman is a historical figure), but I'm learning to be better with my pedantry. A hugely enjoyable film.