Reviewed Comics:
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Strange Tales #128:Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 3.5 StarsThis story kicks off with two members of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants—Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver—discussing the possibility of leaving the group. Quicksilver is quite ready to run off immediately, while Scarlet Witch feels a lingering sense of loyalty to Magneto for saving their lives, even if she doesn’t agree with his methods or goals.…
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Avengers #12:This Hostage Earth!
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 2.25 StarsThis story kicks off with Hank Pym (Ant-Man/Giant-Man) working in his lab alongside Janet Van Dyne (The Wasp) when a cybernetic alarm goes off. He realizes that the ants must have triggered it because something serious is happening. This prompts him to call the Avengers together to investigate and handle the unknown emergency. However, the…
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Avengers #11:The Mighty Avengers Meet Spider-Man!
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 4.25 StarsThe issue unfolds after Tales of Suspense #61, featuring Thor as the temporary leader summoning the Avengers amid Iron Man’s absence. Kang observes from the future and sends a robotic Spider-Man to ambush them. The original Spider-Man ultimately saves the day. The plot enhances Marvel’s interconnected narrative and develops both Kang and team dynamics effectively.
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Tales Of Suspense #62:Break-Out In Cell Block 10!
Cover Date: Feb 1965 | Review: 1.25 StarsFrom the first box of text on the first page, I had concerns. Stan Lee kicks things off with: Remember Ish #60 when cap thought he was giving a physical fitness demonstration and didn’t suspect he was really fighting a bunch of assassins? Well some guys always learn the hard way! Here he is again…
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Tales of Suspense #62:The Origin of the Mandarin!
Cover Date: Feb 1965 | Review: 4.25 StarsIn this issue, Iron Man faces the Mandarin. The narrative focuses on the Mandarin’s origin, detailing his rise through hardship and alien technology. Despite familiar themes, the story remains original and engaging, enhanced by adequate artwork, setting the stage for future conflicts.
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Tales of Suspense #61:The Death of Tony Stark!
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 3.25 StarsThe story begins with Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts quitting due to their distrust of Iron Man while Tony Stark is missing. Despite some character development for Pepper and Happy, the overall narrative lacks momentum and has significant flaws. The artwork enhances the experience.
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Tales of Suspense #61:The Strength of the Sumo
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 3 StarsIn this standalone comic, Captain America battles the Vietcong in Vietnam to rescue a helicopter pilot, reflecting the historical context of the 1960s conflict. With Jack Kirby’s exceptional artwork portraying dynamic action, the story reinforces Cap’s ideals without significantly expanding his character, marking an early Silver Age comic entry.
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Tales To Astonish #63:A Titan Rides The Train!
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 4.5 StarsThis tale starts off and reveals to us the mysterious leader and his origin, similar to that of the Hulk but different in effect. Both were exposed to Gamma rays, both should have perished, and both had an aspect of themselves enhanced beyond human capabilities. The Leaders below-average human brain was made brighter compared to…
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Tales To Astonish #63:The Gangsters and the Giant!
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 1.5 StarsThe tale starts out this month much like so many comics, in a training routine with Giant-Man pushing and honing his phyiscal capabilities. This is done while the wasp times him and flirts with him. This is ended by the arrival of a police officer who summons our hero’s (or at least Giant-Man, with the…
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Journey Into Mystery #112:The Coming of Loki!
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 3.25 StarsAlthough only briefly seen in this tale, we get the origin of Loki in this issue. The story takes place upon a great battle between Odin and Laufey. The battle rages on between the two until the Giants’ army decides to join the fray with the destruction of its leaders’ weapon. Story But the centerpiece…
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Journey Into Mystery #112:The Mighty Thor Battles the Incredible Hulk!
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 3.5 StarsWhat happens should Thor and the Hulk fight, one might think given the status of the Hulk in his stories currently that we would be left waiting for such a battle, after all the avengers have ended their pursuit of the Hulk that such a conflict would be unlikely. This story however tells such a…
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X-Men #9:Enter, The Advengers!
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 3.75 StarsThe professor’s absence has been building to what debuted this month, the battle between Professor X and Lucifer, but that is not all, for the Avengers seem to be on the hunt for the great evil arriving in Europe around the same time as our teenage heroes. One might think that this would lead to…
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Amazing Spider-Man #20:The Coming of the Scorpion! Or: Spidey Battles Scorpey!
Cover Date: Jan 1965 | Review: 3 StarsThis issue starts where the last left off, with Spider-Man realizing a mysterious figure is following him, and he turns things around and follows him back, although with limited success. This game of tag, however, does not last long, as we (the reader) quickly learn who the mysterious figure and his boss is. But if…
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Amazing Spider-Man #19:Spidey Strikes Back!
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 5 StarsThis issue picks up with Spider-Man reappearing on the scene after his Aunt May’s recovery, covering both how that affects J. Jonah Jameson and his recent “happy mood” and the endeavors of Sandman and the enforcers who recently joined forces. To add some drama and stakes to the issue, early on, Sandman and the Enforcers…
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Sgt. Fury And His Howling Commandos #13:Fighting Side-By-Side with Captain America And Bucky!
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 4.75 StarsBetween the sergeant fury stories during World War II and Captain America being brought out of the ice in the modern age. This is a crossover I have been waiting to see. In this issue, the howling commandos join forces with Captain America and Bucky. At the story’s onset, we have Sergeant Fury on a…
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Fantastic Four #33:Side-By-Side with Sub-Mariner!
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 4.5 StarsIn the epic tale that unfolds this issue we find the Fantastic Four after being appealed to by the Lady Dorma fighting “side by side” with Namor the Sub-Mariner. As the reader learns, Dorma, in the name of love betrayed Namor to an invader named Attuma before seeking out our four hero’s to help there…
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Tales To Astonish #62:Enter… The Chameleon!
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 3.5 StarsThis issue picks up where the last one left off, with the Hulk bound and captured by General Ross and the US military. As Rick Jones learns of this, he leaves the side of Captain America to travel back and try to help the Hulk. At the same time, a mysterious new figure known as…
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Tales To Astonish #62:Giant-Man Versus THe Wonderful Wasp!
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 1.25 StarsRight from the cover, we are made aware that in this issue, we will have Giant-Man fights for his life against the Wasp! then on page one, a Big Surprise is revealed to us that “this issues big bad villain learns the secret of Giant-Man’s real identity!” But what do these two bits of promotional…
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Daredevil #5:The Mysterious Masked Matador!
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 2 StarsThis issue starts with Daredevil looking for the Matador, who is “the greatest threat to Law in order in years.” While the astute reader may find the thought of our hero questionable, it works to build up the tension to the pending conflict. They first meet in the streets, where Daredevil tries to intervene and…
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Tales of Suspense #60:The Army of Assassins Strikes!
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 3.25 StarsThis issue is about Zemo planning to defeat Captain America by laying a trap where he will fight an army of assassins while believing it to be a staged demonstration. In this case, it is Captain America doing a demonstration for a charity benefit and to make people aware of the importance of physical fitness…
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Tales of Suspense #60:Suspected of Murder!
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 2.5 StarsThis picks up after the end of the last, with Iron Man unable to leave his armor for fear of dying. Trapped in his armor, he has to be just Iron Man and feign that Stark is gone and left him in Charge. However, Pepper and Happy are suspicious, leading to tentions growing and a…
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Strange Tales #127:The Mystery Villain
Cover Date: Dec 1964 | Review: 1.25 StarsWhat starts with a race turns into an adventure involving a race, but I am getting ahead of myself. This issue begins with the three male members of the Fantastic Four engaged in an airborne drag race of sorts, with Torch flying while Thing and Mr. Fantastic fly vehicles. However, things go astray when The…
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Amazing Spider-Man #18:The end of Spider-Man
Cover Date: Nov 1964 | Review: 2.5 StarsIn this issue, Peter Parker deals with his sick Aunt May and the repercussions of leaving the fight against the Green Goblin to be by her side in the last issue. The issue starts with prior foes and other Marvel heroes sharing their views as they learn the news of what happened. Story This issue…
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X-Men #8:Unus, the Untouchable!
Cover Date: Nov 1964 | Review: 4 StarsWith Professor X gone and on the start of his mission (That we will see more of next month) we have Cyclops leading the team. At the unset of the story we have the X-Men undergoing a training session. When compete the team is given leave and Beast and Iceman take off to Greenwich Village,…