Hulk #2 is one of my favorites from this period. It's just so crazy! And that Kirby/Ditko art is the best! The Toad Men are so weird and grotesque and at the same time adorable!

My sig line is from Hulk #2. The Hulk has beaten the Toad Men and he's still flying through space on their spaceship and he thinks about taking over the ship and using it to wreak havoc on the human race!

Imagine if they had run with this storyline in 1962!

Thanks for the corrections. I realize now that Mike's Amazing World of Comics, as awesome as it is for its Newsstand feature (It's what I'm using to easily read things chronologically) and in many other ways, isn't going to be much use to me in tracking appearances. Looking at Amazing Fantasy #15's issue info, it lists Aunt May and Flash Thompson as having "no further appearances." 

Journey Into Mystery #83




Credits
Plotter: Stan Lee
Scripter: Larry Lieber
Penciller: Jack Kirby
Inker: Joe Sinnott
Letterer: Artie Simek

Synopsis:
Crippled Dr. Donald Blake is visiting Norway when he overhears an old fisherman claiming to have seen monstrous aliens in the wilderness. Investigating the old man's claims, Blake learns that the old man was telling the truth when he stumbles on the Stone Men from Saturn, massive stone-like creatures bent on conquering Earth. After overhearing that they are to kill anyone who discovers their location, Blake flees and hides in a cave. After noticing that there appears to be a way out in the back, he's unable to move the massive boulder blocking his escape. Seemingly resigned to his fate, Blake accidentally discovers a hidden room containing an old, gnarled, wooden cane. Getting the idea to use the cane as a lever to move the boulder, Blake strikes the cane on the stone in frustration after he fails. A massive jolt of energy fills the chamber as he's transformed into Thor, God of Thunder. Easily lifting the boulder aside, Blake, as Thor, begins experimenting with his powers. He learns that he must hold on to the hammer to retain Thor's power or revert back to his human form in sixty seconds. He then learns that he can toss the hammer great distances and it will always return to his hand. By stamping the ground twice with the hammer, he can cause thunderstorms, and by stamping it three times he can end them. Finally, he learns that he can revert back to Blake at anytime by stamping the hammer once.

  Confident in his godlike powers, Thor proceeds to locate the Stone Men from Saturn. After the aliens easily defeat a squadron of NATO fighter jets, Thor arrives and proves to be too much for them. He tosses them aside like tenpins, easily destroying their weapons and thwarting every attempt to subdue him. In desperation the Stone Men release a powerful robot to attack Thor, but Thor smashes it to bits with one mighty blow from his hammer. Bewildered by Thor's might, the Stone Men make a hasty retreat in their spacecrafts, not wanting to take the chance that Earth had more warriors as powerful as Thor.

First Appearances:
Thor/Don Blake, Stone Men from Saturn

Comments:
Even though this issue retains the ever familiar alien invasion formula, I've always enjoyed it. I particularly like the way the creators took the time to give us a good display of Thor's unique powers. The Stone Men are interesting in appearance and a welcome change from unimaginative little green men, even though they seem to have the same modus operandi as ever other would be alien conquerors in the galaxy. The idea to bring in Norse mythology to this new line of superhero comics was a masterstroke that would evolve into something truly awe inspiring in years to come, primarily because of to the limitless imagination of Jack Kirby.

This is probably the best art to date in the early Marvel Age and that might have something to do with Jack Kirby's fondness for the gods of mythology. Joe Sinnott's inking is very strong and plays a big part in the overall quality of the art.

Characters Development:
We don't get much of a peak into the psyches of Blake or Thor, but that really wasn't the point of this issue. Looking back on it given what we know now, Blake's adventurous spirit hints at this crippled doctor being far more than he would seem.

Personal Rating/Historical Importance:
7/10. Even though the bulk of this issue was really just a showcase for introducing Thor's powers, I've always thought it was pithy and well done. The solid art certainly helped. I pondered whether or not this issue, even taking into account my fondness for Thor, deserved a 10 in historical importance. Thor is certainly one of Marvel's most important characters, but he never quite reached the popularity of Spider-Man, the FF or the Hulk until his recent movie appearances. Sans the huge bump in media exposure, I probably would have given it a solid 9, but I think Thor has more than earned a 10 taking all of this into consideration.

Joe Sinnott, not Dick Ayers, inked Kirby on Journey #83, which may explain why it's "the best art to date in the early Marvel Age."

Cei-U!
I summon the legendary combo!

Except for the one chapter splash that has Thor looking like a deformed leprechaun.  That drawing is awful.

Fantastic Four # 6



Credits
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Jack Kirby
Inker: Dick Ayers

Synopsis: The tale opens with the FF taking a break from their vigilant hunt for the Sub-Mariner to spend some time answering fan mail. Using his elasticity, Mister Fantastic visits a sick boy in hospital as a surprise response to his fan letter. The Thing gets some unwanted attention from the Yancy Street Gang, a group of pranksters from his old neighborhood who love getting him riled up. They challenge him to come down to the old neighborhood anytime he wants to make something of it. In response, the Thing folds a sheet of titanium like it was a piece of paper and claims that if they can ever unfold it, he'd personally congratulate them. Our scene shifts to the Sub-Mariner, far out in the ocean, frolicking with a team of porpoises, who is being watched carefully by none other than Doctor Doom who just so happens to be following him in a specially designed "aerosub." After introducing himself to the Sub-Mariner, Doom claims that he has a plan to destroy the FF, and Sub-Mariner and Doom dive down into the ocean, Sub-Mariner leading the way to his underwater lair. Doom convinces Sub-Mariner to join him in his plans to defeat the FF by preying on his hatred of the surface world for destroying his beloved Atlantis with their bomb testing. Still, Sub-Mariner refuses to harm Sue Richards, who he has fondness for. Doom accepts the terms and gives a demonstration of his magnetic "grabber" which he then disassembles and has Sub-Mariner hide in his belt buckle.

Sub-Mariner makes his way to the Baxter Building, causing quite a stir among the populace of Manhattan in the process. We also learn that Sue has developed a fondness for Sub-Mariner after Johnny discovers a photograph she had hidden behind a bookshelf. Sue and Johnny get into an argument, and after Johnny burns the photograph to Sue's protest, the Sub-Mariner appears. After a brief altercation with the Human Torch, the rest of the FF demand an explanation. Sub-Mariner claims that he wants peace with the FF, but the FF are incredulous. Reed and Johnny perform a detailed search of the Baxter Building, but find no hidden devices or other booby traps.

Before the FF can make a decision about what to do next, the entire Baxter Building begins to rise from its foundations. Sub-Mariner explains that he placed Doom’s magnetic device in a dark corner of the building’s basement, but that this was a double-cross and not part of the initial plan. The FF and Sub-Mariner don space helmets then Reed attempts to stretch his way to Doom’s craft but is burned when Doom turns one of the ships rocket exhausts on. Reed is now bandaged and out of action, so the Sub-Mariner, after a brief tussle with the Thing, takes it upon himself to go after Doom. After submerging himself in a tank of water, he has the door opened to space and he’s flung out into the void. Using a passing meteor swarm to help close the distance, he makes it to Doom’s ship. Doom attempts to stop him with a gravity device, but Sub-Mariner manages to rip open the ship and enter. After Doom attempts to electrocute him, Sub-Mariner absorbs the electricity and redirects it at Doom, completely electrifying his cockpit. Doom is forced to flee the ship by way of an escape hatch and the last image we see of him is his metallic form clinging to a meteor, hurtling into the void of space. Sub-Mariner pilots Doom’s ship back to earth, returning the Baxter Building its normal location using Doom’s magnetic controls. The FF then discover the tiny grabber and are amazed at Doom’s evil genius in designing something so small yet so powerful. Finally, Sub-Mariner flies Doom’s plane out over the ocean and destroys it by sending it into a dive, allowing it to crash.

First Appearances: Yancy Street Gang's first mention

Comments: One of my favorite of the Pre-Sinnott (as full-time inker) era FF issues, this one has very few flaws, if any, when considering that this was still early in the FF's development. The supervillain team-up would go on to be a staple of Marvel comics, with the wrinkle here being that Namor never was a supervillain. He's clearly an anti-hero with some justified enmity with the surface world. The scene where Doom attempts to motivate Namor buy giving a long-winded speech about revenge was excellent and I can't help but see a little Cold War social commentary in it all. Stan's writing was particularly impressive during that scene and the way Kirby showed Namor struggling with his emotions was masterful storytelling. We also get a much more detailed version of the cutaway interior of the Baxter Building. From start to finish, this issue is a pure classic. 

I do have to wonder about Doom's proclivity for covering up the Baxter Building with nets, attempting to remove it from view by hauling it into space, etc. Could the Baxter Building symbolize in Doom's mind the virility of Reed Richards and this is why it always factors in as the first or primary target of his attacks? I may very well have cracked the code. 

Characters Development: We start to see the mellowing out and refinement of Johnny and Ben's relationship with the humorous interplay involving the Yancy Street Gang. We even get to see that Reed has a heart with his visit to the sick boy in the hospital. Of course this is when the love triangle between Sue, Namor and Reed really gets up and running. Sue is clearly attracted to Namor, but Namor is presented here as being far more nuanced than he was in his first FF appearance. His heroic actions toward the end of the story make it much easier to accept that Sue could fall for this bad boy Prince of Atlantis.

Personal Rating/Historical Importance: 8/9. The best issue of the FF so far and hugely influential for what's to come. The love triangle, the Yancy Street Gang, the repercussions of Doom's trip into space; they'll all play major roles in the stories that are in the near future and for years down the line.