Strange Tales #111

 "Bah, you are a weakling! Why would you help men when you can rule them?"

A rather odd issue this time round. The Doctor Strange story is a rather perfunctory introduction for Baron Mordo while the Human Torch story, despite its silly premise ( I mean, Asbestos Man? Come on! It's heath and safety gone mad.) is... actually rather good.

Yes, this week's baddy is yet another embittered scientific genius who craves worldly riches and is thus tempted by crime... albeit after some almost Marxist muses on how his employer, and not he, profits from his genius labours. And so he goads the Torch into battle from an "old castle", for such things apparently exist in the United States, which he can somehow afford on his meagre salary. And so he publicly disgraces the Torch, before impressing some gangsters (including a "king of the underworld" who will never be heard from again) into joining him in crime.

Wonderfully, it's Sue, armed with a truly magnificent beehive, who is the brains of the operation here, suggesting a successful strategy to her literally hot headed little brother- use flame not on Asbestos Man himself, but the environment outside him. Brilliant.

Meanwhile... well, Baron Mordo comes across in his first appearance as just a generic former pupil of the "Master", as he's still known, who now uses magic for greed and power, ending up in a bizarre astral fight with Dr, Strange. It's a very early story, and not many pages, but Strange wins with a trick and... is that it? Hopefully, things will get more substantial in time. 

Strange Tales #110

The Human Torch vs. The Wizard and Paste Pot Pete

"Wait a minute! I'm a partner- not a servant, you know!"

The team-up we were all waiting for, right? I mean, the Wizard is sort of ok, a generic super genius undone by his own arrogance... but Paste Pot Pete, with his literal paste pot? How on Earth did he get to be more than a one-off baddie?

I like how the story leans into his rubbishness, though. He's the supplicant, the one who springs the Wizard from prison and asks to join forces, something the Wizard would certainly never have reciprocated. And, naturally, Pete spends pretty much the whole story resenting the fact that he's being bossed around.

The actual plot is very perfunctory, though, not helped by the fact it doesn't actually start until page five of thirteen, with loads of space taken up with flashbacks of previous stories and the Torch training and, er, doing homework.

Oh, and the Wizard announcing that he and Pete will just operate from his massive house because "The police would never dream I'd go there"? I think you'll find that's "always", not "never", 

Dr. Strange, Master of Black Magic

"I am the symbol of evil! The evil he has done!"

For a very brief five page story introducing Doctor Strange (at last), this is both very good and utterly fascinating. We're introduced to Doctor Strange, with as yet no origin, but just told that he practises what is rather interestingly called "black" magic. We see an unnamed Wong in one panel and briefly meet the Ancient One, here called the "Master". We learn that the "Master" doesn't expect to live long, and that Strange is his successor. We briefly meet Nightmare, and see the Nightmare Dimension. And, as far as lore goes, that's pretty much it. Strange is an alluringly mysterious figure who keeps his magical cards to his chest.

Indeed, with the excellent, creepy art of Steve Ditko, Strange has the touch of the sinister about him. This looks and feels as close to a horror comic as the Comics Code will allow in 1963, a refreshing change. The writing, too, is a huge step up from the Human Torch stuff, with cool concepts and a twist at the end, even if the client being bad is already becoming a bit of a Marvel trope.

But a Nightmare Dimension! Strange entering another person's dreams! This is awesome stuff. 

The Amazing Spider-Man #2

 "Take a bonus and go out and buy yourself some twist records!"

While not as exceptionally good, or as groundbreaking, as its predecessor, this second issue is nevertheless impressive (despite the silly science- "anti-magnetic inverter" indeed!). It rather helps that, unlike second string villains like the Chameleon (or indeed the Tinkerer!), there's something quite compelling about the Vulture, our first proper Spidey villain, right from the start.

Most interesting, though, is how this issue continues to set and shape the status quo, with Peter earning money through selling photos to J. Jonah Jameson. Interesting, though, is that there is as yet no mention of the Daily Bugle, although Now Magazine is introduced. And Jonah seems to be not so much an editor but the owner of "Jameson Publications", with editors working under him and a massive building with his name on it. It's also fun to see Peter adjusting his costume now that it's to be used for superheroics rather than for entertainment.

The Tinkerer story is a little odd- generic alien invasions really don't feel right with this title- but it's decent enough. More than the stories themselves, though, there's already a feeling that Spider-Man's environment is very grounded and well thought through. 

The Amazing Spider-Man #1

 "Everything I do as Spider-Man seems to turn out wrong!"

Wow. The contrast from the last issue in the Order is as huge as it could possibly be. Yes, it's still melodrama. And yes, up to a point (Steve Ditko being Steve Ditko) there's certainly a whiff of Ayn Rand's dodgy "philosophy". But this is sheer quality, an absolute triumph, easily the best thing Marvel have done up to this point. 

This is Marvel really doubling down on the "superhero with problems" thing- right from the start the issue really emphasises Peter Parker's angst. He's mourning Uncle Ben, but without Ben's salary he and his Aunt May are facing serious problems in paying the bills... and the sheer sense of angst and despair is superbly shown in Ditko's exceptional rendering of a desperate, frustrated Peter.

He's is an impossible moral dilemma- he needs to look after his Aunt May, dismisses the very thought of crime, and resolves to perform again... but in a delicious touch, one can't cash a cheque without a real identity!

Things get worse as journalist (not yet explicitly an editor) J. Jonah Jameson turns the public against him. And, just to twist the knife even further, Jameson doubles down on this as Spider-Man saves his (not yet vulpine!) hero astronaut son. The unfairness just gets worse and worse. And continues into the next story, where his desperate financial situation again takes centre stage. He angrily abandons plans to join the Fantastic Four when he learns that there's no salary on offer... which, as we've previously discussed. Even new generic villain the Chameleon (to become a minor part of his rogues gallery) knows of and exploits his poverty.

All this, of course, is very Ditko, with his hard right and wrong, Mr. A, Objectivist obsessiveness. But here, with the ideology not overt. it really works. This is a truly winning formula- a superhero with real, substantive angst.

And it feels, at this point, that we really do have a shared audience. Not just because of the FF's cameo, but because of Peter's rueful comment that other superheroes, like the FF and Ant-Man, don't seem to have problems like he does!

Tales of Suspense #39

 "Have you never seen an Iron Man before?"

At last we get Iron Man- it really does feel as though it's been forever. Now we just need the X-Men, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, and the Silver Age debut of Captain America, and the main initial Marvel cast will be more or less assembled. 

It's basically the well-known origin story here, but interesting to read this story on its own terms as opposed to the origin of a well-established character. Tony Stark's face is not quite yet recognisable. And the character... it's a brave move to make Stark a glamorous playboy, a "millionaire bachelor", and an inventor of weaponry for the US government- hardly an underdog. But this, of course, is why he must be cursed with the shrapnel close to his heart, forcing him to wear an iron breastplate in order to stay alive. 

It's all very of its time, though- South Vietnam, in the years before the draft. The art is, at times, well, more than verging on racist caricature. And it feels at times as though every other word is "transistor". But this, as an origin, is simple yet solid, and it's already clear that this is an idea with potential.

There's a later short story about Vikings on a desert island, part of the Order only because of references to Odin, that is entertaining enough for what it is. But I'm curious to see the first steps of Iron Man as a character now we've established the origin... 

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, conveniently giving Bruce a reason to become the Hulk. 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. 

Amazing Fantasy #15

 "So, they laughed at me for being a bookworm, eh?"

The traditional history of this issue, the last of a title called Amazing Adult Fantasy up till now, is that it was always going to be the last issue, so it was used to try out the character of Spider-Man. That isn't what we seem to have, though- the debut of Spider-Man ("Spiderman" at this point) co-exists with two other, one-off tales. And the last page contains an announcement from the editor about format changes (including the intention to run more Spider-Man stories), clearly indicating that the title was intended to continue, What happened?

That aside, though, this surprisingly short origin story is absolutely superb, absolutely head and shoulders above anything in the order to this point in terms of quality. Yes, the style still contains much excitable hyperbole, and this is still melodrama. But there's nothing silly about this, and there's far more emotional depth to Peter Parker, a vulnerable and relatable lad with a conscience, than we've seen thus far.

This is, of course, just the bare bones of the origin, with many core characters yet to appear- although Flash Thompson has appeared already, albeit in a single panel. And Steve Ditko's bespectacled, downtrodden nerd of a Peter Parker, with his expressive eyes, is very well done. John Romita's version, not this one, would go on to define the future, but I like the Ditko version very much, the facial expressions are a huge part of the storytelling.

I can't wait until we see Spider-Man again. This is just so good, in an entirely unironic way, and that's the first time in the Order I've been able to say that.

The Incredible Hulk #2

 "Hate you? Why shouldn't I hate you? Why shouldn't I hate all mankind?"

So... the Toad Men? Cartoonish generic alien invaders with their magnetic tech and tendency to spout convenient exposition between themselves? They're... yeah, these are early days, still very cheesy, with what is slowly becoming Marvel still emerging from a world in which comics are seen as disposable, throwaway fare, and the Toad Men are a clear symptom.

So much here is fascinating here, though. The Hulk appears grey when outside at night, but I think he's supposed to be green, in only the second issue. It's still very much the case- and integral to the plot- that Bruce becomes the Hulk at nightfall and changes back at dawn, regular as clockwork. This is very Edward Hyde and, indeed, the Hulk is drawn (pencilled by Kirby, inked by Ditko) with sinister, Hyde-like facial features right out of an EC horror comic. And he's pretty smart: it's implied that he could have flown the Toad Men's ship if dawn hadn't come.

One interesting point... the Toad Men refer to Bruce as the "greatest mind on Earth". I immediately thought, well, what about Reed Richards? But I then realised that we've had, as yet, no indication whatsoever that any of these titles are part of a shared universe. I'm very much on the lookout for when that changes.

This is very Silver Age silly, yes. But it's fascinating to see how different the Hulk is at this early stage. 

Tales to Astonish #27

 "I won't tell you yet! You would only laugh at me as you've done before! But when I've finished it, I'll show you! You shall know I'm a greater scientist than any of you!"

This is such a fascinating time capsule- entirely a product of Marvel pre-Fantastic Four with the slight detail that it happens to introduce Henry Pym. But it seems likely, from reading this, that it would never have been intended as anything more than a one-off tale, very much in the monster genre that Tales to Astonish and the other anthology comics had been doing.

It's interesting to see that this is just one of multiple tales in a comic that also includes text stories, and is a very short story of just a few pages. The cover and splash page, it must be said, are both excellent- I believe the former is Jack Kirby and the latter Steve Ditko? Ditko, I have to say, does a much more impressive job as penciller than Kirby has thus far, although I know Kirby's best work lies ahead.

Initial observations are that Hank Pym doesn't exactly come across as a hero here. Indeed, he seems to be a bit of a prat, much as he shows sense at the end, following his lucky escape. His deciding to destroy his shrinking serum seems to indicate no intention of a return.... but the loose thread of that one mysteriously friendly ant may suggest otherwise!

The less said about the science the better, although I may point the reader to look up J.B.S. Haldane's "On Being the Right Size". Still, this is a pleasingly amusing little tale. Still very early days though.