The Amazing Spider-Man #48 (May 1968)
"The Wings of the Vulture"
By Stan Lee and John Romita.
With the Vulture dying in prison from a workshop accident, his flight suit falls into the hands of his cellmate, Blackie Drago, a ruthless gangster looking to score big. Spider-Man is quickly on his tail, but in the snow-covered winter season, Pete is again feverish, and he's ultimately left lifeless on a rooftop as a laughing NuVulture flies away.
A good, solid read. There's really nothing new in this Vulture fight we haven't seen before (new identity aside), and the "Spidey has the flu" plot is largely recycled, but it's still slickly done with John's crisp art and Stan's snappy writing. The early threads where the dying Vulture puts his faith in Blackie only to find out the other guy is just as heartless a bastard as he is, is a nice throwback to Ditko morality, and there's some nice little moments like a Jameson TV editorial and Gwen trying to catch Pete's eye.
Recommended
The Amazing Spider-Man #49 (June 1968)
"From the Depths of Defeat"
By Stan Lee and John Romita.
While Pete is recovering in bed (with Aunt May invading the apartment and shooing everyone else around), Vulture-2 goes on a crimespree. But he's caught the eye of Kraven, who sees him as a new challenge to take on, and by the time Spider-Man is well enough to track them down, they're duking it out with each other. They of course then team up to fight him, but he comes out on top.
A light, fluffy story, full of largely recycled filler ideas we've already seen before, but the crisp art and snappy script still make it a lot of fun. Romita blocks out fantastic fight scenes, and I love all the side character moments as a recovered Spidey bides his time to get out of bed while waiting for a doctor to arrive. There's also a great couple of pages where MJ and Gwen have started hanging out, and they have a banter-filled chemistry worthy of their own book. Alas.
Also, Kraven vs. tiger. Pure badassery.
Recommended
The Amazing Spider-Man #50 (July 1967)
"Spider-Man No More"
By Stan Lee, John Romita, and Mike Esposito.
One of the classics.
When Aunt May falls ill again, Pete reassesses his life - missing out on fun with his friends, passing on a great job offer because of the hours, slipping in his grades at school - and after another abusive TV editorial by Jameson pushes him past the breaking point, Pete throws out the Spider-Man costume and vows to put that life behind him. While he tries to focus on his calmer life, Jameson finds the discarded costume and goes on a media blitz, creating talk all over the town about what this will ultimately mean. The criminal underworld is listening, too, as they're re-energized and united under the mountainous Kingpin, unleashing a new wave of crime. Pete ultimately can't resist taking action, especially when an elderly watchman he barely saves reminds him of what happened to Uncle Ben and the choices that led to Spider-Man going down the path he did. Breaking into the Bugle, Spider-Man recovers his costume and announces to Jameson that he's back.
Yes, the plot is again largely recycled from a story during Ditko's run, but they really go all out with it here. The bookends of Pete psychological dilemmas, as he first lets the superhero life go then reminds himself he has a responsibility, are both compelling and dramatic, and the juxtaposition of Pete's now calm daily life with the city being eaten up by the new wave of crime is narratively brilliant. The rise of the Kingpin is gradually laid into the plot, saving his introduction until the strongest moment, and then there's the great twist of Foswell, the former Big Man, trying to get back in the game only to find himself up against a force he hadn't reckoned with.
After prancing about for a stretch of issues which, while entertaining, were ultimately a bit empty, this is a strong mission statement of a story which brings Spidey right back to his roots while also establishing the run of stories to come. Stan's writing has never been better than it is here, even giving some nice personality to Gwen and MJ (a response to a letter calling him out in the last issue?). Romita's art continues being some of the best comics have ever offered, and Esposito's slightly heavier, slightly scratchier inks give it a nice, subtle layer of grit that really carries the darker themes we're presented with.
One of the classics, and deservedly so.
Recommended
The Amazing Spider-Man #51 (August 1967)
"In the Clutches of... the Kingpin"
By Stan Lee, John Romita, and Mike Esposito.
Spidey starts gradually reclaiming the town from the criminal underworld, threatening to tumble Kingpin's conglomerate just as it's still pulling together. Kingpin decides to (using Foswell) focus on Jameson and his scathing editorials. Jameson is kidnapped and as he (blindfolded) meets Kingpin for the first time, Spidey comes in and starts knocking the place apart. The Kingpin then reveals his muscular might and masterful cunning as he beats Spider-Man down.
Another classic, picking up right where we left off. The criminal underworld going from calm to frantic, with Kingpin forcing it back to calm through pure might, is great. The action is solid, with Kingpin finally cutting loose and showing himself to be the legendary force to be reckoned with. The ending is great, and I can't wait to see where this leaves Jameson and Foswell.
Stan's writing has never been better, Romita's art is top notch, and Esposito's inks still have just the right amount of grit without killing the colorful antics of our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Recommended
Tales of Suspense #89 (May 1967)
Iron Man "The Monstrous Menace of the Mysterious Melter" (really, Stan?)
By Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Frank Giacoia.
After a near-death incident convinces him Pepper is fully in love with Happy, Tony drowns his sorrows in the detached decadence of the night life, partying at every joint he can with a new girl on each arm. Meanwhile, the Melter escapes from prison, "chases off" Iron Man, and captures Tony.
A better installment than usual. Colan is downgrading the gothic mood of his art, brightening it up and focusing more on bright and zippy action. It's much better than it has been, especially the page spreads of Tony's empty power fantasies about town, but it's still weighted down a bit by Giacoia's overly heavy inks. It's not as awful here as it has been, but it still clashes with Colan's realistic detailing instead of enhances it. Stan's script is snappy fun and seems to be making an effort to re-ground the character and get to the core of him instead of veering off in the weird directions it's gone. It loses a bit of thunder once Melter bungles in, after which it's a by-the-number plot, but the opening half is strong enough to win a
Recommended
Captain America "Back from the Dead"
By Stan Lee and Gil Kane.
Red Skull is alive! And after Captain America breaks his purple robot, Skull unleashes a raging and resurrected Bucky Barnes, who pounds Cap down. Cap eventually fights back, revealing this to be a robot.
And thus, this is an utterly pointless issue. The Skull is back... just because, I guess. There's no weight to the reunion of foes due to the random purple robot and missiles. The Bucky confrontation has some moments of weight, but then they pull the overused "oh, it's just a robot" card and shoot the thread in the foot. Stan's writing is about as flat as his story, and while Kane has improved since the last couple of issue, I still find it uneven and clumsy, and I'm just not a fan.
Not Recommended
Tales of Suspense #90 (June 1967)
Iron Man "The Golden Ghost"
By Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Frank Giacoia.
Melter forces Tony to build him a new gun, then shoots the man down... unaware, of course, that the flesh setting has no effect on Tony's iron chestplate. Tony, stuck for time, has to don his original suit of golden armor and takes the villain on, which doesn't last long before it's revealed Tony sabotaged the gun.
There's some decent twists, like Tony's chestplate saving him from death, the loving use of the stage 1 armor, and Tony's gaggle of current girlfriends all showing up outside the police barrier, but this is largely a bland, generic affair. There's still no life to Stan's scripts here, nothing particularly clever in the story department. Colon, though, continues to refine his style so as to better fit the book, and even Giacoia's inks seem to be settling in nicely, giving the art a pop instead of weighing it down.
Not Recommended
Captain America "And Men Shall Call Him Traitor"
By Stan Lee, Gil Kane, and Joe Sinnott.
As Red Skull flies to New York, he's pursued by a persistent Cap. Reaching New York, Skull encases a square mile of the city in a plastic bubble, lifting it from the ground and using the people within to force Cap into pledging his absolute allegiance for 24 hours. Unable to think of another option, and unwilling to break his word as an Avenger, Cap agrees, and his vow to serve the Red Skull is broadcast on TV to shocked viewers.
On the one hand, this is a lot of fun with Cap's mid-air efforts to break into the battleship, and the city encased in a bubble. On the other, there's not really much going on outside that, and the whole pledge (because Cap is unable to break his word, even though it means humiliating the very symbol of what he stands for and potentially helping to commit further atrocities) is just stupid, because Skull puts the city back immediately afterwords, dropping his leverage. Heroic ideals are one thing. Idiotic rigidity is another.
With Sinnott doing a lot to clean up Kane's art, this feels even more like an attempt to emulate the style of Kirby, but it just doesn't have the same energy, the same pop, and Stan's script is just as bland and lifeless.
Not Recommended
Tales of Suspense #91 (July 1967)
Iron Man "The Uncanny Challenge of the Crusher"
By Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Frank Giacoia.
In "Cuba", a scientist offers his leader a potion that will makes him incredibly strong, but the scientist is forced to drink it himself, becoming the Crusher, a massive slab of muscle. He attacks Iron Man to prove himself. Tony, of course, just so happened to be testing a ray to increase molecular density at the time, so he makes the Crusher so exponentially heavy as to sink into the Earth itself.
Aside from the last page, where Crusher meets his fate, and Pepper and Happy reveal they've eloped, this is another bland bit of lifeless fluff from Stan, with no character from Tony, an uninteresting foe in Crusher, and even the art is just ugly and awful at times, killing any excitement the action could have offered.
Not Recommended
Captain America "The Last Defeat"
By Stan Lee, Gil Kane, and Joe Sinnott.
Red Skull, on the 23rd hour of Cap's pledged 24 hours of loyalty, finally tells Cap - ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME YOU HAD HIM VOW TO FOLLOW YOUR ORDERS FOR 24 HOURS AND YOU WAIT UNTIL THE VERY LAST ONE TO ACTUALLY HAVE HIM DO ANYTHING AND HOW HAS THE ENTIRE WORLD TURNED AGAINST HIM DUE TO A SINGLE TV BROADCAST WITHOUT A NUMBER OF ACTS PERFORMED BY CAP TO BACK THAT CLAIM UP AND JUST NO JUST NO JUST STOP IT JUST NO.
There's an experimental nuclear sub Skull wants to get his hands on, and he knows the Avengers are fully briefed on the placements of US forces and - ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WHY WOULD THE GOVERNMENT REGULARLY TELL THE AVENGERS WHERE ALL OF THEIR FORCES ARE BASED ON LAND AND SEA WHEN TWO OF THEIR MEMBER ARE FOREIGN NATIONALS THREE HAVE RECORDS AS VILLAINS AND ALL ARE OPERATING UNDER COLORFUL ALIASES WITH THEIR SECRET IDENTITIES STILL UNKNOWN AND AREN'T THEY PRIMARILY BASED IN THE US WHY WOULD THEY NEED TO KNOW WHERE TROOPS ARE BASED OVER SEAS JUST GO JUST LEAVE JUST DON'T DO THINGS LIKE THIS ANYMORE JUST NO.
Anyways, Cap is put under a mind-reading machine, then under a laser which he uses to escape, then races the Skull to the sub, then has to fight the entire crew when they're put in a hypnotic trance, then frees them of the trance and has to fight them again because they all think he's a traitor, then Skull blurts something out which makes them all realize Cap is still a hero (ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME HOW COULD YOU BLUNDER AWAY YOUR ADVANTAGE LIKE THAT) and he teams up with them to trick Skull onto getting on the sub while they all go on his craft, and he dies when they set it to self destruct.
And then Cap takes a page to make a patriotic speech about the constant struggle against tyranny.
From the bland art to the lifeless writing, this is trying so desperately hard to capture the random spontaneity of Kirby's style of storytelling, but fails so miserable on all counts, and everyone should be ashamed of themselves. I can't say this strongly enough, but absolutely
Not Recommended
Tales of Suspense #92 (August 1967)
Iron Man "Within the Vastness of Viet Nam"
By Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Frank Giacoia.
Iron Man is in Vietnam, giving soldiers bullets which home in on armored plating (because so many of the Viet Cong wore armor?). He's sent on a mission to invade the castle of an evil, half-cybernetic mad scientist named Half-Face, and just as Iron Man arrives, a creation of some sort is awoken on a table beneath straps and a sheet.
No guys, just no. With the mad scientist, complete lack of political consequences in Iron Man accepting missions from and arming troops with special weapons, and the bucktoothed portrayal of Vietnamese men repeatedly referred to as "charlie", this reads like a book stuck in the Golden Age. The dynamic art by Colan and Giacoia is strong, but not strong enough to make this worth the while.
Not Recommended
Captain America "Before My Eyes, Nick Fury Died"
By Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott, and Stan Lee.
Returning home from a SHIELD mission (from a while ago, meaning this blessedly ignores the last few issues) Steve Rogers is passing the secret entrance to SHIELD's downtown HQ when he sees a mechanical assassin, sent by AIM, mow down Nick Fury with gunfire. Cap dukes it out with the robot, but it turns out Fury is alive and well, the revelation of which causes the robot to self-dissolve in defeat. Fury has a job for Cap.
After muddling through a few issues of Stan and Gil Kane trying their damnedest, and failing miserably, to be Jack, Jack swings back in with all the pounding action and jazzy imagination he's know for. The story is a bit slight, and Sinnott's inks a little rougher than usual, but it's still a crackling nugget of entertainment.
Recommended
No comments:
Post a Comment