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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 10, 2014 13:53:37 GMT -5
Just wanted to add that it is precisely Slam's unblinking approach to these reviews, untainted by nostalgia or misplaced reverence, that makes this thread such a delight to read. Cei-U! I summon the kudos! Cei-U hit it on the head as to why I'm enjoying Slams' reviews. I'll take this over birthday notices for singin' cowpokes anyday. What about the Blues and Jazz guys? Appreciate the kudos fellers. I'm enjoying it again. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 11, 2014 14:27:31 GMT -5
Tales to Astonish 36 (Ant Man story) Plot by Stan Lee Script by Larry Lieber Pencils by Jack Kirby Inks by Dick Ayers Cover: Our intrepid hero and some of his ant buddies are trapped under a glass box held down by large hands. A lot of text and some really unappealing coloring detract from a decent if unspectacular cover. The Story: We open with a splash of Comrade X threatening to step on Ant-Man and three of his ant buddies. He's wearing hob-nailed boots...or maybe Lego boots. Really...they look like Legos on the bottom. An okay splash. We then get a one panel text recap of his powers and equipment with an editor's note to the previous issue. Which is kind of cool. Ant-Man is shrunk down and moving the tumblers in a time lock to let some bank robbers out of the vault they've locked themselves into. He can do this because he retains his normal strength when he's shrunk. Make a note of that, because it is an issue later on. But he succeeds and they are captured while he rides off on an ant into the sunset. Meanwhile, “behind the Iron Curtain” Comrade X is summoned into...someone's office...and tasked with capturing Ant-Man and learning how he changes size. The plan is to shrink troops and move them behind enemy lines. The feller wants and “antidote.” He uses that word...but I don't think that word means what he thinks it means. Yep...the Commies are at it again. Several days later a young lady comes in to a police station looking for Ant-Man. They don't know how to find him...he just appears when trouble arises. We then find out that there are insects in every police station and newspaper office keeping track of things for him. Who knew that insects speak English, read and have abstract thinking ability. As soon as the word Ant-Man is heard electronic impulses are sent through the Ant-vine to Henry Pym. They let him know a girl is in trouble and he's needed. Luckily it isn't just Mr. and Mrs. Johnson in the mood for some kinky role-playing. Pym gets into his suit and helmet and uses his new shrink gas (serums being passe). We then get a floorplan of his secret Ant escape and return, complete with catapult that will send him to any part of the city. And he can land on a big pile of insects...because their exoskeletons are a lot softer than the ground. Ant-Man lands as a woman is leaving the police station. She must be the one he needs...how many women can possibly be visiting a police station? He hitches a ride on an ant into her car and then into her handbag. No reason to just announce himself. He climbs out of her purse and confronts her. She went to Europe and fell in love with Comrade X, but he threw her over for another woman. Now she is going to pay him back by revealing to Ant-Man that he is trying to capture him and where Comrade X is located. Ant-Man and a large number of his little friends head to the freighter where Comrade X is located. As the go on the ship they trip an electric eye...and Comrade X knows that it's Ant-Man...hmmmmm. Comrade X gets the drop on him and Ant-Man and all his ants are trapped under a glass box with air holes. Ummm..he's trapped under a glass box. This is where that ”retains his normal strength” thing comes in. Because I don't know about you...but I think I can lift a glass box. Comrade X was able to lift it to trap him. Oh...and his electronic impulses from his helmet won't go through the glass. But they will go through the building he lives in...and the police stations...and newspaper offices. Luckily he's able to send the impulses out of the air holes and a whole new passel of ants come to save the day. They swarm up the legs of the guy guarding the Ant-Man, luckily causing him to drop his rifle (because it's child's play to shoot an ant with a rifle) and serendipitously causing the falling rifle to shatter the glass box. Ant-Man makes his way to the radio room and rides an ant along the ceiling to a lantern where he suddenly remembers he has his human strength again and causes it to fall on the radio operators head. He calls the Coast Guard for help and then heads to Comrade X's quarters. There he finds that Comrade X has been expecting him...for...reasons, and finds himself cornered by a hand sprayer of DDT (these things never happen to other heroes). But his ant buddies swarm over the light, blacking out the room. This inexplicably causes Comrade X to throw his head back and grimace in fear while forgetting that all he has to do is spray Ant-Man who is already in his “sights.” Some super-spy. Ant-Man then uses the old tie their shoelaces together trick to knock Comrade X to the ground (third time he's fallen for that one this week), where swarming ants pull off his mask and we find that it's really Aunt Jebedissa...wait....that was Scooby Doo. It's the chick. But Ant-Man already knew that because he'd seen the mask when he was in the purse. Except in all his thought bubbles he kept thinking of Comrade X as a He. And he really didn't need to walk in to the trap if he actually knew who Comrade X was. Luckily the Coast Guard arrive to mop things up and we don't have to worry about thinking about plot holes. Thoughts… I initially wondered if this was a problem with the scripter and the artist not being on the same page. But Kurt tells me that these were done full-script. Which just means that the story is a mess and that Stan wasn't doing jack-all when it came to editing. It's Commies again. Early Marvel Universe...if aliens aren't invading...it's probably Comies. Hank Pym has no discernable personality. Not that we really see him at all. Really this is just an incredibly standard super-hero story. The second Scooby Doo unmasking we've gotten from Leiber. And this one really just doesn't need to be at all. A female master spy from beyond the Iron Curtain would be a lot more interesting. The comic book science here is pretty bad. And the instances when it inexplicably doesn't work are even more jarring. I get that the “Ant Network” is interesting and kind fun. Provided you don't actually...you know...think. Apparently exterminators don't exist in the MU. Because there are ants bloody everywhere. Comrade X's master plan is a glass box with holes in it. How did the Commies become a world power with masterminds like these? The Story. This story is kind of a mess. There really is the germ of a good story here...or at least a marginally interesting one. But it would need a competent writer to bring it out. The silly internal inconsistencies kill pretty much anything good happening. The Art: on the other hand is pretty spiffy. Kirby really does do a good job of conveying the smallness of Ant-Man and his view of the world, which makes the art far more interesting than the story. The toll: A broken glass box. One spy with a concussion. Literally hundreds of dead ants. Grade for historic importance: D I really can't see much about this story that has any impact at all. Story – D + Art – B + |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 11, 2014 14:56:00 GMT -5
And that closes out MU books cover dated October 1962. We've added one book to the fold, Strange Tales, which is also our first spin-off book. FF is now monthly. But the Universe still not really a Universe but separate galaxies.
Of the 11 books that Goodman put out this month four are superhero books, four are romance books and two are monster books (including the Strange Tales Annual).
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Post by Cei-U! on Oct 11, 2014 15:09:55 GMT -5
I'm currently reading the late '50s/early '60s Archie title Adventures of the Fly. The post-Simon & Kirby issues read a lot like these early Ant-Man, Thor, Human Torch, and Iron Man stories, not surprising since it's Robert Bernstein scripting Fly. Like Slam says, incredibly standard super-heroics and even dumber, if you can believe it, than the Marvel stuff. But as long as he has Tales of Suspense #39 on his resume, you'll never catch me bad-mouthing Larry Lieber. The best script of his career, if'n you ask me.
Cei-U!
I summon the redeeming grace!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 11, 2014 16:44:37 GMT -5
I'll take up the cudgel of ba-mouthing Larry Leiber. If Tales of Suspense #39 was his best script, then I'd chalk it up for Stan working with Larry uncredited on the creation of a new hero intended to launch a series. It would only stand to reason Stan would be involved for this debut and letting his brother have the credit
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Post by benday-dot on Oct 11, 2014 18:53:19 GMT -5
The surprising thing for me was how mediocre the Avengers was for the most part. It started strong, but once Kirby starts doing layouts the quality takes a big dive. Don Heck has grown on me over the years; he's a good artists, just not the best fit for the genre. It's really not until Roy Thomas and John Buscema that the title really takes off for me. I'm a bit confused by this statement. You say Avengers began strong but started to decline when Kirby started doing layouts. But Kirby not only layed-out, but fully penciled the Avengers from the get go in issue #1 through issue #8. He came back to lay out the plot for issues 14, 15 and 16 for Don Heck to run with. And that was about it (besides covers) for Kirby on the title. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 11, 2014 21:14:39 GMT -5
For The Avengers, #10 and #11 are OK, but kind of iffy and then #12, #13 and #14 are pretty bad.
And then it gets good again for a long time.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Oct 12, 2014 2:32:49 GMT -5
The surprising thing for me was how mediocre the Avengers was for the most part. It started strong, but once Kirby starts doing layouts the quality takes a big dive. Don Heck has grown on me over the years; he's a good artists, just not the best fit for the genre. It's really not until Roy Thomas and John Buscema that the title really takes off for me. I'm a bit confused by this statement. You say Avengers began strong but started to decline when Kirby started doing layouts. But Kirby not only layed-out, but fully penciled the Avengers from the get go in issue #1 through issue #8. He came back to lay out the plot for issues 14, 15 and 16 for Don Heck to run with. And that was about it (besides covers) for Kirby on the title. I was thinking of the layouts in 14, 15 and 16. Kirby's full pencil's from 1-8 were what I meant by "starting off great." I never thought Kirby and Heck were a good fit, so that combo never worked for me. |
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Post by benday-dot on Oct 12, 2014 20:53:26 GMT -5
I'm a bit confused by this statement. You say Avengers began strong but started to decline when Kirby started doing layouts. But Kirby not only layed-out, but fully penciled the Avengers from the get go in issue #1 through issue #8. He came back to lay out the plot for issues 14, 15 and 16 for Don Heck to run with. And that was about it (besides covers) for Kirby on the title. I was thinking of the layouts in 14, 15 and 16. Kirby's full pencil's from 1-8 were what I meant by "starting off great." I never thought Kirby and Heck were a good fit, so that combo never worked for me. Thanks for the clarification TtU. Those 3 issues definitely look more Heck than Kirby, though they do incorporate Kirby's energetic approach to plot. I know I'm in the minority here, but after all these years of trying to love Heck on the Avengers I'm still not that won over. I think he's alright on the , so there is nothing very visceral against Heck I just find his superhero work in general is lacking in panache and excitement. Heck is fantastic on romance and horror work and was pretty good on the more whimsical Giant-man in Tales to Astonish. I'm not sure if Kirby was the artist for the Avengers either, and if he was we surely would have gotten much more high concept work on the book. It would have been exciting, but Avengers are not the FF, so who can say if it would have worked. Like you it's in the Buscema period that I first really got to love the book. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2014 21:02:07 GMT -5
I've always found Heck's work on Avengers to be in the same vein as Al Milgrom's for me-competent but unappealing to me. I do like his Natasha though...and I didn't mind his stuff on TOS's Iron Man strip, so it just may have been the dynamic of his doing a team book that didn't play to his strengths as an artist that makes me feel the way I do. It might also be that long runs by the likes of Buscema and Perez spoiled me for Avengers art.
-M
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Post by Nowhere Man on Oct 12, 2014 22:43:41 GMT -5
I feel the same way as benday-dot about the Avengers. I've actually grown to appreciate Heck, particularly on Iron Man and Ant-Man/Giant-Man, but he was never strong in terms of over-the-top action like Kirby or Buscema. I think he would have made one hell of a James Bond artist, though.
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Post by Rob Allen on Oct 13, 2014 18:45:00 GMT -5
A female master spy from beyond the Iron Curtain would be a lot more interesting. Isn't that pretty much the way the Black Widow started out - a female master spy from behind the Iron Curtain? Hmm... maybe she used the name "Comrade X" for a while. Or else this was a "Black Widow prototype". |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 13, 2014 19:44:01 GMT -5
Fantastic Four #8 “Prisoners of the Puppet Master”  Written by Stan Lee Pencils by Jack Kirby Inks by Dick Ayers Cover: This is an odd cover. Again...a lot of text and again a lot of gray. It really doesn't pop t all. And the red bordered word balloons are weird. Yet somehow it is compelling. And Puppet-Master is definitely creepy looking. The Story:
We open with Ben entering trying to enter Reed's lab and Sue and Johnny trying to stop him because it's “secret”. This of course irritates Ben and starts our once an issue dust-up between the team-mates to show characterization and demonstrate their powers for the new readers. Ben storms off vowing to leave the team again and Sue follows him invisibly (because her costume will draw attention). As she talks to him invisibly, she attracts attention (shocking, someone talking to an invisible chick might attract more attention than a gal in a costume) and Ben is accosted by two wise-guys. Sue and Ben then batter them. Lucky for the wise-guys Sue sees a feller climbing a cable to the top of the bridge. Since neither she nor Ben can get to him she fires the Fantasti-Flare hoping either Reed or Johnny can help. Reed spots him but he can't stretch far enough. Johnny flames on to save him and does so by flying him down with his hands un-flamed. And we get our first look at The Puppet-Master. And he is one creepy looking dude...kind of looks like one of his puppets...or a ventriloquists dummy. He's caused the poor unfortunate to climb to the top of the bridge by using a puppet and replica of the bridge. As he pushes the puppet off the bridge his finger is burnt. This despite the fact that Johnny's hands aren't flaming. It's obvious to The Puppet Master that The Human Torch must be involved and thus he must make the Torch his next victim. Because...well because it advances the plot, mostly. We then get a handy dandy one page “Feature Page” showing us Johnny's powers and some of how he deals with them. Back in the story blind young lady Alicia inquires as to the Puppet Master's health. He makes it plan that he is her stepfather and that she shouldn’t bother him. The Puppet-Master proceeds to use his magic...I mean “radioactive” clay to make a puppet of The Thing, which is the obvious thing to do if you're mad at The Human Torch. The Thing is compelled to come to P.M.'s apartment and Sue trails along invisibly. But she's detected by Alicia's super blind senses. P.M. then fits Ben, Alicia and himself with gas-masks and then floods the room with ether from the ether dispenser in the room. Because every apartment in New York comes with hot and cold running ether. And...what is Sue doing during this time. Seriously the guy is fitting three gas-masks and apparently she's just sitting there waiting to be a hostage. The ether makes Sue pass out and she becomes visible (how did P.M. know that would happen). P.M. then notices that she and Alicia look remarkably similar. So he cuts and colors his step-daughters hair and whips up an FF uniform for her. He then sends her off with Ben to the FF's headquarters. They arrive and Ben begins fighting with Johnny and Reed. They lure him into the lab where Ben runs into Reed's lab equipment and turns from The Thing back into Ben Grimm. Because Reed was working on a cure and that's why he didn't want Ben in the lab, because he might see the “potion” (really Reed? Did you whip it up in your cauldron?). Alicia senses that Ben is sad inside and as he turns rocky again he realizes she likes him better as The Thing than as Ben. Meanwhile, P.M. is starting a riot at the local prison because...reasons. It doesn't really seem to move any plan forward, so I'm guessing it's because they need to fill in six or so pages of action. Sue awakens and hears his plan (such as it is) and tries to escape. She's stopped by a Sue-Puppet being tripped, but she gets off a flare that alerts the FF as to where she is. In testament to Reed's genius, the flare is able to shoot around a corner. The FF show up to rescue our perpetual hostage and are confronted by a large mind-controlled puppet. They defeat it, but P.M. espcapes on a jet-powered winged horse puppet. Johnny can't catch it because his powers have been used enough for this part of the plot. The gang then go to quell the riot. Johnny's powers are back and allow him to somehow tunnel through dirt...because...the plot demands it, I guess. Reed actually uses his powers pretty effectively and Sue...well she makes it look like a gun is floating. P.M. comes back to his apartment where the FF have left Alicia. He has grandiose dreams of ruling the world by his puppets. I guess maybe he'll make a scale model of the world. But Alicia wants to stop him...and in a fit of peak P.M. falls out the window, apparently to his death. The FF come back and comfort Alicia. Thoughts… This is the fourth issue in a row with Prisoners or Captives in the title. You'd think our intrepid heroes have nothing better to do than get caught up in traps. The fight amongst the team to start the issue is nonsensical. There's been no indication that Ben has any scientific training to speak of. So it's not as if he's going to recognize that Reed is trying to cure him from some unknown “potion” in the lab. This is a pretty lame attempt to show characterization and to demonstrate everyone’s powers. The length of time Johnny can maintain his flame and the length of time he needs to rest and regenerate it seem to be pretty much entirely plot dependent at this point. This is probably the best demonstration of Reeds powers we've had thus far. At the very least it's the best since issue 3. I can see why the letters pages were clamoring for Sue to leave the team. It's not sexism on the part of the young male readers. It's that she is absolutely nothing but a hostage. The Puppet Master's powers are pretty limited given the kind of detail he has to put into the diorama's he's using in this issue. And where exactly does he get the room to store the replicas of the bridge, the prison, etc. Not to mention a huge robot puppet and a jet-powered winged horse puppet. The guy has the biggest apartment in New York City. At this point “radioactive” and “magnetic” might as well mean magic. They can do anything because...magic. It would be cool to think that Alicia's preference for The Thing over Ben was foreshadowing for what we know will come. But I think that's way too much to ask. On the other hand, it's kind of creepy to realize that she looks that much like Sue considering where Ben and then Johnny will end up with her. It's pretty clear that this is the turning point between monster Thing and sympathetic Thing. The plot…Oddly, for as much as I'm ragging on this story, and it has a LOT of faults, there is a lot here to like. P.M. is kind of cool, creepy lil dude and Alicia is going to be a good addition. But man there is a LOT wrong here. The art...Much improved from the last issue. This is the decent Kirby/Ayers as opposed to the actively bad Kirby/Ayers. The toll: A table, a side table, a wall and a bunch of lab equipment in the Baxter Building. A streetlight. Wholesale destruction at the prison. Grade for historic importance: A. First appearance of Puppet Master and Alicia Masters. Story – B+ For all that was wrong with it...it was a pretty enjoyable read. Art – B
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Post by Cei-U! on Oct 13, 2014 20:40:46 GMT -5
Fit of pique, not fit of peak. That aside, excellent analysis!
Cei-U!
I summon Howdy Doody's big brother!
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Post by Nowhere Man on Oct 13, 2014 20:49:41 GMT -5
It's sort of amazing how the Puppet Master was developed into a fairly interesting character and relatively "classic" FF villain later on. On the surface he's...kinda lame. I think his historical importance as Alicia's stepfather plays a big part.
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