Sub-Mariner 1968

It was a long, convoluted path for Bill Everett's hero SUB-MARINER to get his own book again.

After being revived in FANTASTIC FOUR #4, he became one of the recurring villains (or was that anti-hero?), appearing in F.F. #6, 9, 14, STRANGE TALES #107, F.F. ANNUAL #1, THE AVENGERS #3 & 4, F.F. #27, X-MEN #6, STRANGE TALES #125, F.F. #33, THE AVENGERS #16, and DAREDEVIL #7, before being awarded his own series in TALES TO ASTONISH #70.

His series in ASTONISH lasted all the way to the end of the title.  In early 1968, Martin Goodman sold Marvel Comics to Perfect Film, and as a result was able to switch distibutors. No longer limited to 8 books a month, Goodman began an expansion, which included taking all 3 "split books", ASTONISH, SUSPENSE and STRANGE TALES and spinning them off into 6 solo titles-- CAPTAIN AMERICA, NICK FURY, AGENT OF SHIELD, DR. STRANGE, THE INCREDIBLE HULK (which continued the numbering of ASTONISH for Postal permit reasons), IRON MAN and SUB-MARINER.  Due to some almost-inexplicable schedule problems, the last 2 were delayed by 1 month, their final half-book episodes appeared together in a one-shot.  Contrary to what the cover might suggest, they didn't meet, team-up or fight on the inside.

IRON MAN AND SUB-MARINER 1  /
art by Gene Colan & Bill Everett   (April 1968)

SUB-MARINER 1  /  art by John Buscema & Sol Brodsky   (May 1968)

SUB-MARINER 2  /  art by John Buscema & Frank Giacoia   (June 1968)

SUB-MARINER 3  /  art by John Buscema & Frank Giacoia   (July 1968)

SUB-MARINER 4  /  art by John Buscema & Frank Giacoia   (August 1968)

More when they get done!

Artwork Copyright (C) Marvel Comics /
Raw scans for #1, 2, & 3 supplied by Barry Pearl /
Restorations by Henry Kujawa

ASTONISH, Part 3

(Continued from Part 2 ) 

Beginning with TALES TO ASTONISH #52, Giant-Man and The Wonderful Wasp's series was taken over by Dick Ayers (although Jack Kirby continued to do ALL the covers!). Don Heck's final episode was in TTA #54, which makes me wonder if it hadn't been sitting around for a few months. Heck would return to the characters in THE AVENGERS, especially when they rejoined to the group in issue #26.

TALES TO ASTONISH  52  /  art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brosky   (February 1964)

TALES TO ASTONISH 53  /  art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brodsky   (March 1964)

This strikes me as some kind of production office botch-job.  There's all this empty space down the right side with nothing there, and the text is taking up much more room than usual. Plus, Giant-Man's right elbow is hitting the left side of the panel, in a way that violates a basic "design" principle.  The impression is, Jack Kirby drew the cover, and Stan had Sol Brodsky shove the whole image over to the left, to make room for The Wasp flying on the right.  But wait, there's more!  Something made me dig out my ESSENTIAL ANT-MAN book, and what do I find?  The Wasp figure has been REPLACED!  I'd already noticed the the figure of The Wasp seen here is IDENTICAL to the one on TTA #51, meaning, this one's a STAT.  But sure enough, Jack had drawn a very different pose of her flying, which was replaced.  As happens quite a lot with 70's reprints and ESSENTIAL books, the earlier, un-changed version turned up long after-the-fact.

Wouldn't you know it? I don't even like this one, and it took me FAR more hours than normal to clean it up. 

TALES TO ASTONISH 54  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (April 1964)

TALES TO ASTONISH 55  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (May 1964)

Below is one of the most time-consuming restorations I've done in months. In addition to fixing the edges, and a vast amount of the flat colors, I added art to the upper-left corner (which meant the entire top and left edges as well), PLUS, I tediously RECREATED the entire dark blue background pattern on a separate layer, in order to both enrich the color (which turned up ALMOST BLACK in the scan), as well as eliminating endless dirt, inconsistency, and an infinity of creases and other damage. I think it was worth it! 

(Now if only the DESIGN itself didn't stink. Stan just did not know when to SHUT UP!! I sense a "Fantasy" version in the offing here...)

TALES TO ASTONISH 56  /  art by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone   (June 1964)

Sure enough...  my own "Fantasy" version!

TALES TO ASTONISH 57  /  art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brodsky   (July 1964)

TALES TO ASTONISH 58  /  art by Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman   (August 1964)

TALES TO ASTONISH 59  /
art by Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman   (September 1964)

(Continued in Part 4)

Artwork Copyright (C) Marvel Comic

Raw scan of #52 from my collection
Raw scans of # 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 & 59 supplied by Barry Pearl
Raw scan of #58 from the Heritage Auctions site

Restorations by Henry Kujawa

ASTONISH, Part 2

(Continued from Part 1 )

ANT-MAN was one of those series that kept being re-tooled as it went.

In TTA #44 (Jun'63), we not only learned more about his background, but
were introduced to Janet Van Dyne, who became his crime-fighting parter--  
The Wasp!  Then, not long after, Ant-Man became GIANT Man!  (GI-Ant).
He and The Wasp also helped form the superhero team that was Marvel's "answer" to DC's Justice League Of America-- THE AVENGERS.  In fact, Ant-Man was the one who suggested they form a regular team-- and  
The Wasp was the one who came up with the name!

MARVEL FEATURE 8  /  art by Jim Starlin & Mike Esposito   (March 1973)
(The first time I read this story, it was a "Dreaded Deadline Doom" reprint that was the result of Craig Russell filling in for one issue of DR. STRANGE. I know, it doesn't make sense to me, either.)

TALES TO ASTONISH 44  /  art by Jack Kirby & Don Heck   (June 1963)

The very month after The Wasp debuted, Ant-Man guest-starred in FANTASTIC FOUR !  The story was one later adapted for the 1967 Hanna-Barbera F.F. cartoon show, but Ant-Man was nowhere to be found in the TV version.

FANTASTIC FOUR 16  /
art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (July 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 45  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (July 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 46  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (August 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 47  /
art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers (and DON HECK)   (September 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 48  /  art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brodsky   (October 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 49  /  art by DON HECK   (November 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 50  /
art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brodsky   (December 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 51  /
art by Jack Kirby & George Roussos   (January 1964)

(Continued in Part 3)

Artwork Copyright (C) Marvel Comics

Raw scan of MARVEL FEATURE #8 from my collection
Raw scans of #44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 & 51
     and FANTASTIC FOUR #16
     supplied by Barry Pearl

Restorations by Henry Kujawa

Tales To ASTONISH

The "brother" to TALES OF SUSPENSE, TALES TO ASTONISH likewise began life as a "giant monster" book populated by an endless series of such creatures created by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others. Both books, like STRANGE TALES and JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY, would eventually evolve into homes for superhero series.

In the case of ASTONISH, it began in the unlikely form of yet another "monster" story-- "The Man In The Ant-Hill" in TTA #27 (Jan'62).  Instead of yet another giant monster menacing mankind, this was more "personal", as a scientist working on a shrinking formula tests it in himself, then finds himself accidentally trapped at miniature size and menaced by what, to him, is now suddenly a group of giant monsters-- ANTS!

Every once in awhile, one of these stories would inspire a sequel. But in this case, the sequel that did arrive a mere 8 months later took on a form few might have expected, as "Dr. Henry Pym" not only returned to his previously "abandoned" research, but donned a costume and helmet which allowed him to communicate with-- and order about-- an ant colony. And what does he DO with his new ant army? Why-- FIGHT CRIME! What else?

Of course the idea is loopy-- I think that's the point. THE ASTONISHING ANT-MAN is one of those ideas that is just screaming for a feature-film to be based on it. Even now, at the end of 2011, as we've seen big-budget movies based on The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, with The Avengers coming, WHERE is our Ant-Man film???

Oh well, we'll just have to make do with the original comics. The entire run was reprinted in THE ESSENTIAL ANT-MAN in 2002, and quickly became one of my favorite such books.  It's wild, it's crazy, it's borderline insane-- but most of all, it's FUN!!

Here's the covers; some I've managed to "restore" over the last few years, the rest I did just this week! Lots yet to go, but with luck I'll get to more of them... eventually.

TALES TO ASTONISH 27  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (January 1962)

TALES TO ASTONISH 35  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (September 1962)

TALES TO ASTONISH 36  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (October 1962)

TALES TO ASTONISH 37  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (November 1962)

TALES TO ASTONISH 38  /
art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brodsky   (December 1962)

TALES TO ASTONISH 39  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (January 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 40  /  art by JACK KIRBY   (February 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 41  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (March 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 42  /  art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brodsky   (April 1963)

TALES TO ASTONISH 43  /  art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brodsky   (May 1963)

Ant-Man's FINAL adventure!! (as a SOLO hero, that is)

ANT-MAN continues in Part 2 !

Artwork Copyright (C) Marvel Comics /
Raw scan for #27 from Heritage Auctions
Raw scans for #35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 & 43 supplied by Barry Pearl
Restorations by Henry Kujawa

SUSPENSE, Part 4

(Continued from Part 3)

Change was in the air for this period of TALES OF SUSPENSE.  All 3 "split books" (TALES OF SUSPENSE, TALES TO ASTONISH and STRANGE TALES) switched to alternating every-other month between a single feature (though for a long time, the lead strips and back-ups remained leads and back-ups, regardless of what was on the covers).

Jack Kirby was stretched thin doing "layouts" for other artists (which means, HE was writing the stories, uncredited and UNPAID).  The series involved were The Incredible Hulk, Nick Fury, Agent Of SHIELD, X-Men, and Captain America.  Cap's series had art by Dick Ayers, George Tuska, John Romita (and, without Kirby's involvement, Jack Sparling and Gil Kane).

But perhaps the most shocking change was when Don Heck somehow got bumped off of IRON MAN-- his big contribution to the superhero genre-- and replaced by Gene Colan.  Suffice to say, you could hardly find 2 artists whose styles were more different.  Not to mention, their storytelling styles.

I often liken it to comparing 2 particular James Bond movies-- FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE.  Same hero, same star, but totally different in look, feel, budget, everything.  And while it's undeniable that YOLT a visual spectacle and incredible fun to watch, on the writing end, it doesn't really make that much sense, especially when compared to FRWL, one of the best-written "007" films ever made.

But that's the late 60's in a nutshell for you...

I'm afraid there's still a PILE of these covers waiting for me to do restorations on.  I hope one of these days I can somehow manage to finish the set.

TALES OF SUSPENSE 71  /
art by Jack Kirby & Wally Wood   (November 1965)
This one kinda blows my mind. The combined styles of Jack Kirby & colorist Stan Goldberg are SO overpowering, that the inks of Wally Wood-- generally regarded as one of the most "overpowering" inkers in the biz-- almost disappear into the mix! (The same goes for the interiors, where Wood's inks are almost completely overpowered by Don Heck's pencils! What a great, if short-lived, team they made.)

I just had to include these 2 pages by Don Heck & Wally Wood!

TALES OF SUSPENSE 72  / 
art by Jack Kirby & Mike Esposito   (December 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 73  /  art by Gene Colan & Jack Abel   (January 1966)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 74  /  art by Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott   (February 1966)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 75  /  art by Gene Colan & Jack Abel   (March 1966)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 76  /  art by Jack Kirby & John Romita   (April 1966)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 77  /  art by Gene Colan & Jack Abel   (May 1966)

More when they get done!

Artwork Copyright (C) Marvel Comics
Scans from my collection
Restorations by Henry Kujawa

SUSPENSE, Part 3

(Continued from Part 2)

This is probably my favorite stretch of IRON MAN stories, EVER.  Don Heck & Stan Lee were in top form. Tony Stark was never more dramatic, and Happy & Pepper were never more loyal (and at times, hilarious). We got possibly the greatest Mandarin story ever done (which included his origin!), The Black Widow was given super-powers, Al Hartley filled in on a funnier-than-usual episode, and the entire "Cold War" subtext of the series came to a climax with the introduction of perhaps the ultimate Commie badguy-- The Titanium Man!

Meanwhile, Jack Kirby exploded on the pages of CAPTAIN AMERICA, emphasizing ACTION, ACTION, ACTION, almost to the the total exclusion of "angst". And, for a run of issues designed to separate it from Cap's appearances in THE AVENGERS, we saw "flashbacks" to World War II, when Cap & Bucky Barnes were a team.  This was a slightly older Bucky than seen in the original early-1940's comics, perhaps reflecting Stan Lee's outspoken dislike for "kid sidekicks". One thing that hadn't changed since the 40's, Bucky was a fan's walking fantasy, blowing hell out of Nazis the way a costumed hero with super-strength might not.

As usual, Jack Kirby supplied the covers, which in this period tended to be fairly cramped and chaotic, as he had to somehow fit BOTH series onto all of them.

TALES OF SUSPENSE 61  /  art by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone   (January 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 61  /  "Fantasy" version /
art by DON HECK / design by Henry Kujawa

TALES OF SUSPENSE 62  /  art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers   (February 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 63  /
art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brodsky and Don Heck & Dick Ayers   (March 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 64  /  art by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone   (April 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 65  /  art by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone   (May 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 66  /  art by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia   (June 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 67  /  art by Jack Kirby & Mike Esposito   (July 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 68  /  art by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia   (August 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 69  / 
art by Jack Kirby, Don Heck & Mike Esposito   (September 1965)

TALES OF SUSPENSE 70  / 
art by Jack Kirby & Mike Esposito   (October 1965)

(Continued in Part 4)

Art Copyright (C) Marvel Comics
Scans from my collection
Restorations by Henry Kujawa