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Post by Batflunkie on May 20, 2024 9:14:27 GMT -5
Volstagg was a home run right from his first at-bat. He was a comic relief character , so when they made him a wielder of the Hammer a few years ago, I thought it was a bad idea. "Pah, a trifle! Who needs weapons, dear friends, when you have the Valiant Volstagg by your side?!" |
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Post by Icctrombone on May 21, 2024 5:00:41 GMT -5
Journey into Mystery #120
September 1965 "With My Hammer in Hand!" Here's my copy complete with a magic marker added to the image.  Comments:
Solid transitional issue that ties up the last adventure and opens the door to new plots A few items and scenes caught my eye: Thor testing out the Hammer in the Pittsburgh forge was cool. Also notice that Kirby uses a photo as the background to the first panel.  It feels like Thor really overreacts when Jane isn't at the office. He acts like a D@%k to the landlord and isn't very nice to the Newer Avengers. It's been over 2 months, isn't it possible that Jane just moved on. Did Blake even tell her he was leaving for an extended time? My original copy had Janes hair blonde , and it was corrected in the digital version.  The intro of Crusher Creel was dramatic, but again it seems that Loki can do anything and frees him from space . That device he uses to track Creel down looks more from the lab of Reed Richards than from the place of a warlock.  Tales of AsgardMan, I liked that 5 pager. A lot happens , we see just really funny slapstick involving Volstag and we see how bad ass Hogun can be. Extra stuff
I always love seeing the adds for upcoming books.  I would have loved to buy that Thor tee shirt   |
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Post by wildfire2099 on May 21, 2024 7:08:43 GMT -5
Volstagg was a home run right from his first at-bat. He was a comic relief character , so when they made him a wielder of the Hammer a few years ago, I thought it was a bad idea. I read a bit of that story... it wasn't as bad as it sounded. It was like an EVIL Hammer, so it made him more aggressive.. it wasn't a bad one off. I don't think I've read that story about the hammer sliver... but that's awesome! I love that stuff. Having multiple balls in the air and being able to move from one story to another like that is really a lost art in comics, and one that is truly missed. It today's trade era we just get one story at a time in defined chunks. The predictible nature really hurts the overall presentation, IMO. |
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Post by Icctrombone on May 21, 2024 7:22:31 GMT -5
He was a comic relief character , so when they made him a wielder of the Hammer a few years ago, I thought it was a bad idea. I read a bit of that story... it wasn't as bad as it sounded. It was like an EVIL Hammer, so it made him more aggressive.. it wasn't a bad one off. I don't think I've read that story about the hammer sliver... but that's awesome! I love that stuff. Having multiple balls in the air and being able to move from one story to another like that is really a lost art in comics, and one that is truly missed. It today's trade era we just get one story at a time in defined chunks. The predictible nature really hurts the overall presentation, IMO. What I like about Lee’s juggling of plots is that he actually resolves them. Unlike some other writers ( I’m looking at you Claremont). |
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Post by kirby101 on May 21, 2024 8:08:02 GMT -5
I read a bit of that story... it wasn't as bad as it sounded. It was like an EVIL Hammer, so it made him more aggressive.. it wasn't a bad one off. I don't think I've read that story about the hammer sliver... but that's awesome! I love that stuff. Having multiple balls in the air and being able to move from one story to another like that is really a lost art in comics, and one that is truly missed. It today's trade era we just get one story at a time in defined chunks. The predictible nature really hurts the overall presentation, IMO. What I like about Lee’s juggling of plots is that he actually resolves them. Unlike some other writers ( I’m looking at you Claremont). Lee wasn't plotting, Kirby was. I am not being pedantic. By this point we should give the credit for these stories to the man who created them. This isn't a "who created Spider-Man", by 1965, Kirby was plotting Thor and FF. |
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Post by Icctrombone on May 21, 2024 9:09:33 GMT -5
My opinion about the plan for early Marvel was that Lee was in charge. He was the one that tied the Avengers continuity to the Thor , Cap and Iron man books. Kirby wasn’t the one to come up with the idea of tying the Thor storyline with his departure from the Avengers book with issue 16. Brad, I think you have a blind spot.
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Post by kirby101 on May 21, 2024 9:21:49 GMT -5
My opinion about the plan for early Marvel was that Lee was in charge. He was the one that tied the Avengers continuity to the Thor , Cap and Iron man books. Kirby wasn’t the one to come up with the idea of tying the Thor storyline with his departure from the Avengers book with issue 16. Brad, I think you have a blind spot. Were you talking about the crossovers between the books? My response was because I thought you were talking about the plots within JiM. If I was mistaken, ignore my rant. |
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Post by Icctrombone on May 21, 2024 9:25:26 GMT -5
My opinion about the plan for early Marvel was that Lee was in charge. He was the one that tied the Avengers continuity to the Thor , Cap and Iron man books. Kirby wasn’t the one to come up with the idea of tying the Thor storyline with his departure from the Avengers book with issue 16. Brad, I think you have a blind spot. Were you talking about the crossovers between the books? My response was because I thought you were talking about the plots within JiM. If I was mistaken, ignore my rant. I don’t doubt that Kirby was the driving force but Lee was in charge of all the goings on in the universe. He was in charge of that, not Kirby. |
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Post by Prince Hal on May 21, 2024 9:34:51 GMT -5
Icctrombone, so glad you included the ads for upcoming books. Those four annuals made that summer for me...
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Post by kirby101 on May 21, 2024 10:05:33 GMT -5
Were you talking about the crossovers between the books? My response was because I thought you were talking about the plots within JiM. If I was mistaken, ignore my rant. I don’t doubt that Kirby was the driving force but Lee was in charge of all the goings on in the universe. He was in charge of that, not Kirby. Yes, he was the editor overseeing all the books. |
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Post by Icctrombone on May 21, 2024 12:25:45 GMT -5
Icctrombone, so glad you included the ads for upcoming books. Those four annuals made that summer for me... Years ago I completed the Thor run from 113-502. I refuse to read the books on digital after spending all that money. When I write a review, it will include all the cool ads they have. |
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Post by Hoosier X on May 21, 2024 12:43:22 GMT -5
Icctrombone, so glad you included the ads for upcoming books. Those four annuals made that summer for me... Years ago I completed the Thor run from 113-502. I refuse to read the books on digital after spending all that money. When I write a review, it will include all the cool ads they have. Mr. Trombone, could you include the letters page every once in a while? I bet I’m not the only one who wonders what the readers were saying! |
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Post by Icctrombone on May 21, 2024 17:32:53 GMT -5
Years ago I completed the Thor run from 113-502. I refuse to read the books on digital after spending all that money. When I write a review, it will include all the cool ads they have. Mr. Trombone, could you include the letters page every once in a while? I bet I’m not the only one who wonders what the readers were saying! I’ll make the addition when I get home. Edit: done |
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Post by Hoosier X on May 22, 2024 1:18:29 GMT -5
Mr. Trombone, could you include the letters page every once in a while? I bet I’m not the only one who wonders what the readers were saying! I’ll make the addition when I get home. Edit: done Thanks Mr. Trombone! |
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Post by Icctrombone on May 23, 2024 6:11:18 GMT -5
Journey into Mystery # 121
 Writer Stan Lee Artist: Jack Kirby Artist Inks: Vince Colletta
Plot summary:
As we saw last issue, The Absorbing man has arrived on earth and he attacks Thor. This is one of those battle royale issues where Kirby has them fight in different locales in the city. It appears that Creel has the upper hand because ultimately he can duplicate Thor's strength , but in several occasions it is revealed that he doesn’t have the fighting skill nor the tolerance for pain that the Asgardian has. During their battle we cut away to see that Jane is being held by a hooded person who is trying to convince her that her abduction is for her own good. We also see that Loki is free to plan his next move. When we return to the battle, it has moved to the streets of New York where the police are trying to evacuate the area, but a small child wanders into the battle and when Thor takes him to safety, Creel brutally strikes him from behind with his Ball and chain thus knocking Thor out. The issue closes out with Creel bragging about his victory. Comments:While some may not like that this issue was just a long fight scene, I don’t believe that Kirby can ever draw a battle issue that doesn’t thrill the fan. He is just the master of these types of books. He does so much with the Absorbing man’s abilities and the visuals are so engaging. Thor has the opportunity to end the fight but he stops at killing Creel when he accidentally absorbs the properties of glass highlighting his code against killing a mortal. Maybe he should bend this rule for Creel. One wonders why Thor just doesn't use the same tactic of using his hammer to turn him into another element like helium gas like he did in issue #114. It would have been a good idea to give a quick explanation in the dialogue as to why it couldn’t be done again. We see a panel letting us know that the norn stone that Thor dropped 2 issues ago is going to figure in a future story. This was a fun story that is to be continued , which reminds me of Lee’s quote that the fans hated the 2 and 3 part stories. He said he did it because it’s easier to write all those books if he didn’t have to start from square one each issue. Just another item, Thors hammer is supposed to return to him no matter what, but I feel like sometimes it doesn't. In past issues, it has been shown to just lay on the ground. I feel like this is a classic pose for Creel, it's a amazing splash page  Creel can feel pain and despite the strength , tolerance for pain is a big factor in fights.  Tales of AsgardThe crew of the ship that Thor is commanding is caught in a deadly storm when they approach the Pillars of Utgard. Many of the crew members want to turn back and while they are battling the storm, Balder is seen dragging an oversized horn to the figurehead of the vessel. To be continued. Comments:
Another small chapter but nice visual of the Pillars of Utgard.  Nice splash of them in the storm  Some adds, Man I wish I could get those t-shirts  Letter page 
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