• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Harry's Marvellous Meanderings through the Comic Book World
1 1

347 posts in this topic

Update: JIM #96 & 107 both sold. I'll leave the entries there as a warning to future generations. :insane:

 

Amazing Spider-Man #23 April 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 5.5

 

asm23.jpg.2c83f43e299396e495d1264d3b7a16a8.jpg

 

Cover: 3.5/5 ~ Spidey can pull off some amazing moves and Ditko captures them so well + Goblin chucking exploding pumpkins? :)

 

Art: 4/5 ~ Ditko does it again. Some great fight sequences with some gangsters and more impressively with the Goblin. One near death escaping sequence for Spidey (saved by his own incredible ability). Lots of character work done on Peter, J. Jonah, Betty & the shady looking Foswell. And with a lot of Spider-Mans some interesting perspective scenes from our intrepid wall-clinger.

 

Story: 4/5 ~ This story is perfectly framed by the 'normality' of Peter's civilian life, where his worries about wet costumes, Betty's secrets and being late for Aunt May's roast potatoes take precedent. In between we have non-stop action first up against Lucky Lobo's gang (special mention for the intermission in this sequence when he phones up Aunt May whilst the gangsters are beating on the web stuck door; pure genius!) Then more dramatically we have another indecisive battle with the Green Goblin. Not a dull moment is had and the Goblin's plans to take over the rackets and shady Foswell's involvement as a newspaper reporter hint at a larger scheme in play.

 

Quote of the Day ~ "I wish you boys would be more careful! You're liable to skin my knuckles with those hard chins of yours!"

 

My assessment ~ This copy cost quite a bit (for me) so an upgrade is probably beyond my wallet. But it's good looking enough anyway. Keeper.

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations on the sales Harry and you've hit on a crucial Marvel point... the 'normalcy' of some of the problems that would plague our protagonists.

 

I think that in-itself, broadened the appeal of comics to a younger generation in the 60's.

 

Of course this has been well documented but I had to add that. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations on the sales Harry and you've hit on a crucial Marvel point... the 'normalcy' of some of the problems that would plague our protagonists.

 

I think that in-itself, broadened the appeal of comics to a younger generation in the 60's.

 

Of course this has been well documented but I had to add that. :)

 

Thanks, Mekon (thumbs u

 

And you're right of course, having super-heroes that were flawed and had real world problems meant there was hope for all of us. :)

 

Further update: JIM #108 sold.

 

Much earlier in this journal I mentioned the pocket books published in 1977 that contributed to my sense of awe at how deep the Marvel Universe really was. My original copies were of course lost or thrown out long ago but I bought the FF #1-6 recently at a great price so treated myself to a slice of nostalgia.

 

ffbook_zpsvowzxe6m.jpg

 

Now I'm looking out for the #7-12 edition and a fair priced ASM ones too (these are currently too expensive for what they are, imo.)

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic Four #37 April 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 3.0 One of my earliest ebay purchases. :(

 

ff37.jpg.06f3ae5de1d06558c1d772a90621cf1f.jpg

 

Cover: 3/5 ~ Lovely purpleness & an unusual design in having our heroes so small in the background whilst the 'villains with guns' are so large in the foreground. I'm not convinced it works particularly well though.

 

Art: 4.5/5 ~ Wonderful sci-fi imagery from Jack in this ish. The Skrull wildlife, photomontage of Skrull space, the trip through sub-space and the Skrull homeworld really emphasised his natural talents.

 

Story: 3/5 ~ Lots of pseudo-science this month. I didn't mind it and was quite willing to suspend disbelief, Reed is a genius after all. What bothers me is the one-dimensional egotistical baddies that keep cropping up. Morrat is the latest off the conveyor belt and whilst the FF were in a bit of a pickle because the Skrull air drained their powers, I had no interest in Morrat's power games or why the princess loved him. His death, though deserved, was entirely predictable and contrived for he was the man who 'killed' Sue & Johnny's father, so justice was served on a big, cold platter. The Princess's fate however was a surprise. I thought she had met an untimely and tragically accidental death but no, Sue's force-field saved her. Yay! Sisters are doing it for themselves! In the end the sci-fi storyline just about lifted this issue above the median line of FF stories.

 

Quote of the Day ~ "Didja hear that?? Nothin' but a puny whap!! Me - - who usedta never get anything less than a bar-ooom, or at least a ka-poww!"

 

My assessment ~ Another one for an upgrade. I would like a Fine and can probably afford that but I'm only actively seeking books I haven't got at the moment.

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Journey Into Mystery #115 April 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 6.5

 

jim115.jpg.5432f49d257ee2b85eff02bf11fe14d7.jpg

 

Cover: 2.5/5 ~ Nice to see the blurbing reduced a bit, not a very inspiring cover though. It seems Thor would fail at limbo dancing.

 

Art: 3.5/5 ~ Pretty good stuff from Kirby. Some Asgardian fight scenes (great splash page), terrific coverage of the Absorbing powers and wonderful sequence where Thor wins the day by changing CC into helium (more on that anon).

 

Story: 3.5/5 ~ Like the previous issue an enjoyable read. There's some good action, a set-up for next month's 'Trial of the Gods' (ooo, can't wait). Crusher Creel resumes his nastiness and has a final showdown with Thor, the police have zero chance of apprehending him. It's the culmination of the story that lets it down. The Absorbing Man is turned into helium and drifts harmlessly into space. Read the Quote of the Day to see how contrived (to avoid Thor killing a mortal) the situation is. Unless Thor has literally nothing else to do for an indefinite amount of time, I don't see how he can fulfil this statement.

 

Quote of the Day ~ "In that gaseous state, he can survive indefinitely! I shall allow him to drift thru space until the unearthly power he possesses is but a useless, forgotten memory! Then, he shall return to Earth, assume his rightful form, and finish out the years of his prison sentence! Thus, the Absorbing Man will be heard of no more!"

 

My assessment ~ This copy is quite nice 'cept for the dust shadow and the ugly T&P stamp (again). I have a sneaky feeling though that now I've sold a few JIM's the rest may be going as well.

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazing Spider-Man #24 May 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 3.5

 

asm24.jpg.0e8d26a8f427912546d9e74a61b0a87e.jpg

 

Cover: 4/5 ~ Only Ditko/Spidey can pull off this kind of senses reeling cover. Even as a child I loved weirdness in art and this would have had parting with my loose change ahead of anything else in May, '65.

 

Art: 4/5 ~ There's hardly any action in this issue but it doesn't matter because Ditko packs another load of characterisation & emotion into every page, every panel. Petey's expression of terror on page 12 really lets us feel what torment he's going through.

 

Story: 4.5/5 ~ As noted, there's not a lot of action to the story but it makes not a jot of difference. Spider-Man is close to a mental breakdown, orchestrated by 'Doctor Rinehart' (no spoilers) and his slide towards insanity is as compelling as any fight our web-slinger has been in. He comes very close to revealing his identity before he's stopped unintentionally & ironically by J. Jonah (who has also started a new series of editorials endorsed by the public as to the menace of Spider-Man). There's also time for the Flash/Liz/Betty/Peter, quadrangle? And more worrying from Aunt May over her favourite sickly nephew. A thoroughly entertaining and satisfying tale.

 

Quote of the Day ~ "I've hated him for years! I've planned a million schemes to discredit him! ...To defeat him! ...To destroy him! And now, when you were about to do it for me, I ruined everything!"

 

My assessment ~ A keeper unless I get lucky or alternatively, go mad with an upgrade!

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic Four #38 May 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 2.0

 

scan0001_zps3gduyutg.jpg

 

Cover: 2.5/5 ~ It's certainly a weird cover with the evil FF in a flying eyeball. What the hell could be going on? And the blurb promises a lot although seeing as the evil FF sort of beat the good FF only two issues ago, I suppose we shouldn't be that astonished.

 

Art: 3.5/5 ~ Wonderful splash page & a full page scene of the Wizard demonstrating his powers lift this above the average. Was this the first time Kirby did a full page drawing in the FF? Also some nifty stretching scenes and atoll fighting, ending with an atomic explosion. Certainly continuing the feast for the eyes started last ish.

 

Story: 3.5/5 ~ Well, there's a surprise...Sue gets kidnapped! She's getting better at it though, managing to free herself this time although being trapped underground with a ticking Q-Bomb does kinda take the shine off. So this story is all about the return of the Frightful Four and the evil Wizard's plan and trap to destroy the FF once and for all. The Wizard is a true stinker, I think I hate him more than any of the FF's other adversaries so far but he is effective, he gets the job done. There's a cracking pace to this story and it seems to be over in a flash (pun intended) and there's a final panel that means we absolutely have to buy next month's issue.

 

Quote of the Day ~ "This must be the trap they planned for us...the ultimate trap!! But we've got to escape it! We can't have found you only to lose you again...only to lose everything at the last fateful minute!"

 

My assessment ~ A small upgrade would be both affordable and almost necessary as this issue marks the start of the FF's greatest run, imo.

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Journey Into Mystery #116 May 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 3.5 Manufactured with one staple! Amazingly it's still holding on for dear life and the ugly T&P stamp is almost entirely faded.

 

jim116.jpg.221f6cbbcb2007b2ee1c70d92e125c51.jpg

 

Cover: 2.5/5 ~ I like the overall composition of this cover. Feels like you're looking over Odin's shoulder at the goings-on. However Thor & Loki's unnaturally stiff poses kinda spoil it.

 

Art: 3.5/5 ~ Doesn't start off well with the splash page being an even stiffer (and flatter) rendition of the cover but soon picks up once the 'trial' begins. We have very spikey plants, very hungry plants, ghostly Loki, Yagg the Invincible stealing a couple of panels. Some Earth based stuff with the Executioner & Enchantress, the rest of the Avengers, second appearance of Daredevil's red outfit in cameo. But best of all we saw Odin in the tub and then walking around being all omnipotent in his furry bath robe & slippers! Awesome!?!

 

Story: 2.5/5 ~ Mainly set in the land of Skornheim (where even immortal gods can die) this story is basically a race between Thor & Loki to get back to Asgard and 'win' the trial. Whilst on Earth, Loki sends E&E to harass poor put-upon Jane Foster to distract Thor from winning. Odin sends Balder to stop this unsporting behaviour but as this seems to be a two-parter we don't really find out what happens on Earth but it does end on a cliffhanger as it appears Thor has lost the race and thus the trial. Oh, did I mention that we see Odin in the bath? That bit was freakin' awesome! :nyah: Overall despite the story continuing on into the next issue this had all the feelings of a filler with only a light plot on show. I may be wrong, we'll see what #117 brings to the table.

 

Quote of the Day "You trespass on our friendship, Balder! None may disturb Odin while he takes his imperial bath!"

 

My assessment ~ Whilst I may be hesitating over some of the JIM's I don't think this is good enough to keep, despite Odin's dip.

 

:news:SOLD!

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazing Spider-Man #25 June 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 4.0

 

asm25.jpg.a35cba29cd65df3bf1d326e66feae8b5.jpg

 

Cover: 4/5 ~ Great cover. That yellow, Jonah's maniacally grinning face, tiny blurbing and a wonderfully drawn full-sized Spidey ensnared.

 

Art: 3.5/5 ~ Typical Ditko finesse in drawing all the varying characters in Spider-Man. Was that Norman Osborne we saw in J. Jonah's office? First appearance of Mary-Jane 'cept for her face, teasingly hid by a flower! That scene deserves a special mention for the frosty interplay between Liz & Betty and their mutual astonishment at seeing MJ for the first time. Where the art is slightly weak this issue is in the depiction of the Spider-Slayer which is quite clunky & flat. It appears that Ditko is better suited for drawing people than machines, or robots anyway.

 

Story: 3.5/5 ~ Some wonderful 'normal' stuff this month. With Parker acting out of character to get some extra bucks, Betty berating him for it. Liz really falling under Petey's spell, Flash wanting to fight him for it. Teenage mob action (chasing Peter and then hanging around his house to hopefully witness the Thompson/Parker scrap). The aforementioned Liz/Betty eye daggers at noon sequence and Aunt May scolding Peter for having a Spider-Man costume. Wonderful & unique. The story is slightly let down by some (unusual for a Spider-Man book) pseudo-science involving the Slayer and an unexplained or unseen ending where Spidey manages to get out of the steel coils without retracting them. The action up till then though had been quite tense as Spider-Man could find no way of defeating or giving the robot the slip.

 

Quote of the Day ~ Really difficult to get a decent quote from this issue. Let's go with..."I don't know which is worse...that robot's coils, or Jameson's raspy, gloating voice!"

 

My assessment ~ Obviously could be a higher technical grade but looks good enough for me. Keeper.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Avengers #17 June 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 8.0

 

av17.jpg.5bb56092324cca3eade9d8a7f910a04f.jpg

 

Cover: 2.5/5 ~ Nothing spectacular unless you're into Greek mythology. Strangely, I am and even that wouldn't have had me parting with the shekels to buy this off the spinner in '65.

 

Art: 3/5 ~ Not bad at all. Crisp & clean. I liked the Avengers cavernous training room and the assault from the giant robot therein. I take it it's not really a secret underground fortress then, Cap? The Avengers plane was again really cool, they do seem to have the monopoly on sleek mid-60's futuristic design. The Minotaur wasn't that convincing however, perhaps a less furry version would have helped. The (mainly) unseen depiction of Scarlet Witch's hex powers is not that helpful to the reader either.

 

Story: 3.5/5 ~ Another step-up from the previously reviewed Avengers. It seemed much more modern, a sea change caused by the changing of the guard in Avengers #16* undoubtedly. Cap has to mould the brash & arrogant young things into a new cohesive fighting unit. The tale does a pretty good job in displaying this. Cap is at his commanding best, leading from the front and always the man with the plan. Hawkeye is delightfully spikey & Quicksilver, impetuous. The Scarlet Witch is subjected to some 60's sexism and seems to be filling an early Sue Storm stereotype but does eventually get her Hex on to finally save them from the horn of a dilemma (pun most certainly intended).

 

Quote of the Day ~ "At ease, you imitation Robin Hood! When you've been an Avenger as long as I have, then you'll have the right to speak out that way! And you can like it or lump it, pal!"

 

My assessment ~ Despite the fact, imo, that this is an enjoyable & lucid enough tale, all Avengers will eventually be sold. This one might take longer than the others however, for being a higher grade book it commands a higher price.

 

* I did have #16 for about 2 days. It had an undisclosed detached centrefold and considering the price that had been paid it had to go back.

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic Four #39 June 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 2.0 Another very early ebay purchase. :(

 

ff39.jpg.686d5112e010554c6017ba0287de4103.jpg

 

Cover: 5/5 ~ Nearly every Doom cover has a certain magic about it and this is one of the best. The sight of Victor looming over the city as he surveys his victims is wonderfully played and emotionally chilling. Again the blurb does not lie (it's getting better at that) and Daredevil is indeed leading our powerless heroes. This seems to add to their helplessness not detract from it and of course it does the crossover sales no harm at all, either.

 

Art: 4/5 ~ Lots of action in this # and it's all done very dynamically by Kirby. Special mentions for Doom's gyroscope ship, the attack of the Fantasti-Car, the Vortex machine and the ingenuity used in displaying Reed's mechanical alternatives to their 'natural' powers. The photomontage used in Reed's lab doesn't work well though for once.

 

Story: 4.5/5 ~ Almost certainly the best FF I've read so far. The loss of their powers at the end of #38 has left them in a very precarious situation. After rescue by the US Navy, Reed sets about fashioning mechanical devices to imitate their lost abilities because of the danger they will face if their legion of enemies ever find out how helpless they are now. As luck would have it Doom seeks this moment to avenge himself, after realising he had been hypnotised in FF Annual #2 (sadly, I don't have this). To make matters worse Doom takes over the Baxter Building whilst the FF are talking to their lawyer (Murdock/DD). In the resulting action the FF would almost certainly have been killed if not for the presence of their blind protector. In the end they have to split up in order to survive and to give one of them a chance to reach and retake their headquarters from Doom. Ok, so that brief synopsis does no justice at all to how interesting and exciting this issue is. Lee & Kirby have really excelled themselves in their thematic design. How on Earth can the FF hope to beat their greatest nemesis with none of their powers? I'm not telling (yet) but I would have almost been frothing at the mouth with anticipation for the next issue back in '65.

 

Quote of the Day ~ "I was right! It is Doom! But how can we fight him - - now, of all times - - when we're almost totally defenseless!!"

 

My assessment ~ There are certain issues which stand out from the crowd. There are also certain issues which demand a breaking of my rule to only buy what I haven't got. On both counts this is most certainly one of those. A Fine would do very nicely indeed. :)

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great stuff Harry. I really like your approach to your journal. I'll admit to not being a big fan of the FF, but you made me want to read this one!

 

Thanks! :)

 

But if you're going to read 39, you really need to read 40 as well. You won't regret it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Journey Into Mystery #117 June 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 6.5

 

jim117.jpg.08901030c9973fff7d3e25ecd04f9338.jpg

 

Cover: 2/5 ~ There was a time (a caravan holiday in '75) when to while away the boredom I purchased and avidly read a lot of Commando magazines. That time is gone and war stories, generally, don't get my pulse racing.

 

Art: 2.5/5 ~ It's all drawn well enough ('cept for the strangely caucasian looking protagonist; a Viet-Cong commander). Trouble is the subject matter doesn't make a particularly interesting study. Escapades in Vietnam would have better suited Nick Fury or Captain America. It's hardly Asgardian in grandeur.

 

Story: 2/5 ~ So Thor has to fly to Vietnam to find tricky Loki's cheating Norn stones to prove that he (Loki) won the 'trial' unfairly. After a brief stopover in NY to aid Balder & Nursey Foster his tingling hammer points the way to Asia. I can't really mark this story down because of the usual (for JIM's) absurdities, contradictions etc but my God is it dull! Thor was never going to be bested by artillery shells or small rounds fire despite what the panel dialogue was telling us. So the only real interest was where were the stones? Funnily enough they were conveniently placed in the Viet-Cong ammo dump which certainly cut the time taken to hammer (pun..yada..yada) home the Communism bad/Cold War message in the literally, explosive finale. Probably the most interesting sequence in the whole book was Loki's sofa reclining reverie on how evil he would be in the future.

 

Quote of the Day ~ "And, where Odin is kind, Loki shall be cruel! Where Odin is merciful, Loki shall be deadly! Where Odin is good, Loki shall be the true embodiment of all that is evil!"

 

My assessment ~ Easy.....sell!

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed Harry, that issue hasn't got a lot going for it.

 

But there's an interesting oddity on the cover. I've always wondered how that mortar shell going down the tube the wrong way turned out...

 

:roflmao:

 

Well spotted, I never noticed that. Perhaps it was socio-political metaphor for the evils of communism?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazing Spider-Man #26 July 1965

 

My Copy - Grade 5.5

 

asm26.jpg.81b989e5f29e9501d72db7c754ed0ab3.jpg

 

Cover: 2.5/5 ~ Pretty dull really. Bland background, ordinary (by Spidey standards) villain in the foreground. I wonder if Ditko was told to put the GG in just to spice things up a bit? I do like the detailed city landscape pulling away perspectively though.

 

Art: 4/5 ~ Another tour de force from the artist, I can't fault it at all. I love the various city locations packed into this issue as well as Ditko's usual excellence in drawing all the main characters (super-powered) or not as they go about their day to day business and emotional outbursts! We even see Parker's headmaster this month!

 

Story: 4/5 ~ The events in #23 are starting to come to fruition 'cept there's a new player in town; the Crime-Master! Who we meet for the first time after we see Peter hunting for his costume (confiscated by Aunt May). Surely another sublime first, a superhero stymied by a lack of appropriate garb and an ageing but strict relative? Anyway it seems that the Crime-Master & the Green Goblin were in cahoots but now are falling apart over differences in who should be the Overlord of the Underworld. Then the Crime-Master departs on a midnight spree of coercing the criminal gangs into accepting his control, which, it must be said, he does a pretty decent job of. A 'normality' interlude follows which is just as great as the superheroey stuff. Peter & Betty have a row in the Daily Bugle which leaves Parker in such a bad mood he starts a fight with Flash & his cronies after their usual mocking. Luckily Liz Allen breaks it up or Parker's alter-ego would have been exposed for sure. Brief showings of more Crime-Master action and a rare glimpse of J. Jonah's exclusive club before the main action kicks off with Peter buying a Spider-Man outfit from a costume shop. Yes, it has come to this. Wonderful!

 

So because of a tracking device planted earlier Spidey is staking out Foswell's pad where he is surprised by a returning Crime-Master and very nearly killed by a combination of knock-out gas and sneaky precipice pummelling. Luckily he manages to pull off the ill-fitting mask to breathe again as he plummets to the ground and saves himself. After another brief interlude of winding J. Jonah up (and trying to discover what happened to the costume conveniently discarded in #25), Spidey heads back to Foswell pad for more snooping and discovers a waterfront location marked on a map.

 

As you can probably tell there's a lot in this issue so apologises for the length of the review but we're almost finished now. After getting to the waterfront, Spider-Man sees the mobs are gathering for some big meeting (the cops have been tipped off earlier by a 'grass') but is again surprised and this time defeated by a plummeting Green Goblin and his fast moving glider. The Goblin attempts to unmask Spidey but can't because of the webbing used to fix the ill-fitting costume mask, phew! The issue ends on an absolute cliff-hanger as just as the Crime-Master announces his coronation to the the assembled subservient gangs, the Goblin drops in with an unconscious Spider-Man in tow.

 

Quote of the Day ~ "All right, Crime-Master! I'm speaking up! This is the Green Goblin, saying that you're about to have the shortest reign on record!!" A surprisingly difficult issue to get a decent quote from.

 

My assessment ~ Another great Spider-Man, another definite keeper. And no upgrade necessary. :)

 

Thanks for reading!

Edited by Harry Lime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
1 1