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Posts: 3848
Nov 12 08 3:56 AM
Bronze Age
VisualFiction wrote: "The bottomless pit - a fall which will take all eternity to complete!" This seems a contradiction somehow.
Nov 12 08 4:07 AM
VisualFiction wrote: Jane lies to her date and fakes a headache.
Posts: 13664
Nov 13 08 1:03 AM
Golden Age
"You think I'm a brainless! Fool! If you only knew the truth!" - Lee/Simek This is one of my favorite issues of early Spidey, which I almost feel guilty about in a way, because the plot is way thinner than usual, and nothing much is added to anyone's characterization, and those are the two main draws of the series for me. The story itself is sort of a rehash of FF 9. The Green Goblin (Namor) dupes Spidey (the FF) into going on location to film a movie in order to pay their bills, where the ambush occurs. The thing is, I love the story in both issues, just for the fun Hollywood aspect and the wacky plot. There's just something loveable about the superheroes falling for the "fake film" gambit from their archenemies. I wish this story had been run in the other mags at some point as well. A story in which the Skull implores Cap to appear on location in an "anti-Vietnam War" propaganda film, and then he leads some North Vietnamese in an attack on Cap. Magneto agrees to a sitdown with Xavier and sells him on the idea of a documentary showing a typical day at the School. Loki appeals to Odin's ego and convinces him that posterity would benefit from the biopic "All My All-Father's Sons". Anyway. I love this issue for the obvious reasons, but you might expect my main reason to be the Goblin's first appearance. You'd be wrong. I'll get to the Goblin soon enough. This is the first meeing between the Incredible Hulk and the Amazing Spider-Man. I got turned on to this character combination as a little kid. Surprisingly, ASM 14 was one of the lowest-profile instances to which I was exposed (in the ASM Pocket Book V2). My treasured memories are of the "Chicago Tribune Supplement" comicbook featuring Hulk and Spidey, the "Winter Olympics" Marvel Treasury featuring Hulk and Spidey, the Marvel Novel "Murdermoon" featuring (you guessed it), and an ASM Annual which reprinted ASM 119/120 and featured simply outstanding art. I think part of my love for these teamups (if you can call them that) is that these are probably my two favorite "A-list" Marvel superheroes. Also, the blue/red/green/purple color combination is visually very pleasing. So we get another "Hulk month", which is pretty wonderful, seeing as he still doesn't have his own series. I think the last time we endured a Hulkless month was the month before Avengers 1. And our next thread will be the last one to not feature the Hulk. Pretty awesome. I've really been looking forward to Hulk's TtA series entering the Marathon. Spidey first meets the Hulk in a tunnel complex, just like the FF did. (Also see the cover of FF 12.) This setting does kind of enhance the drama and claustrophobia of what is, after all, an encounter with a monster. The only ones who didn't need the Hulk presented to them in this same manner were the Avengers, and that's probably partly because he was slated to be an "establishment" teammate rather than a crossover antagonist. This is the first Steve Ditko Hulk since IH 6, and only his second chance at the character, and ASM 14 kills two birds since it gives Steve practice for TtA 60 three months from now. Within the story there is no setup for the Hulk's appearance. No Banner, which works well in this case (and anyway there really isn't time or opportunity to fit Banner in). The Hulk is just suddenly there. Imagine how surprised we would have been by this crossover if it hadn't been announced on the cover. Not that you can blame Stan for using Hulk as an additional selling point. But any surprise value does fall by the wayside. The Hulk's strength is emphasized for the benefit of any ASM readers who have somehow managed to avoid seeing the Hulk in any other Marvel mag. (Interestingly, such folks would still have no knowledge of the Hulk's full nature, i.e. Banner, after reading ASM 14.) The Hulk tears Spidey's webbing without really trying. On pg15, the omniscient narrator establishes the Hulk as being stronger than Thor (although the hammer and weather do even out their power levels). And in a splendid three-panel sequence (shades of Kirby almost), Spidey discovers, "Even though he hardly touched me, it's the hardest punch I've ever felt!!" (Previous hard throwers would be Lizard, Sandman, and Ock.) Those three panels are great - two in a row featuring only Spidey's face and Hulk's fist (both larger in the second panel's zoom-in), and then the payoff with both characters' bodies shown - the follow-through by the Hulk and Spidey's collapse. Actually this whole four-page sequence is full of nice colorful action illos of these two seminal Marvel characters going at it. On pg15 we get a wide-panel action shot including both characters' faces. On pg16 we again get both faces together in the 5th panel (and one of Hulk's eyes searching behind him for Spidey). Also a pretty good rendering of the Hulk in the first panel of pg17, a page that also features a kind of visual gag from Steve which may even be unintended in his genius: the wide middle panel shows Spidey giving it everything he's got, and although the Hulk's face is obscured by the impact of the blow, note that the Hulk's posture is in no way affected. He's standing straight up and even leaning forward, as if nothing untoward is occurring. Hilarious. This same page also sports a nice full-on panel of the exasperated Spidey advancing on the Hulk. On pg20 we enjoy seeing Spidey lurk upside down behind the Hulk. Notice that Spidey "uses" the Hulk to smash apart the boulder blocking the cave entrance, just as the Avengers "used" the Hulk to smash the Living Stone last month. I hope the Hulk is growing tired of being manipulated. But I guess he should get "used" to it, what with the Leader on the horizon. (YAY!) Some cute lines of dialogue inspired by Hulk... "Hold it, big man!" (Hulk removes facemask and is revealed as Frederick Foswell.) "Maybe I can surprise him with a sudden attack!" Good luck with that. "Capture you?? Brother, I don't even wanna share the same planet with you!" "The Hulk?!! Did you say the Hulk??!...He's a genuine monster!...Quick!! Draw up a contract for him!!! "How can we make the Hulk sign a contract???" "Don't come back without the Hulk's name on a contract! Well, what are you waiting for???" I want to see the scene where the guy presents the contract to the Hulk. We wuz robbed. Okay, moving on from the Hulk. I promised to address the Goblin's first appearance.
Nov 13 08 1:14 AM
Comicsdad wrote: Why is Green Goblin saying "I'm now ready to give the four of you your orders!" to the THREE Enforcers?!?
Posts: 2346
Nov 13 08 1:46 AM
Now only Hulk, the Avengers, and Daredevil are still waiting for their archenemies. DD will be waiting for quite a while, and I don't know if the Avengers ever even obtain one overarching enemy, unless it's Kang/Immortus.
Posts: 509
Nov 15 08 6:24 AM
Nov 16 08 4:03 PM
"...And this, the thrilling account of their epic battle, may well be remembered as long as literature endures!"
Sure, Stan. Whatever you say. As others have already noted, this one is pretty bad. The plot makes very little sense, first Electro is leading a gang of car thieves and the next moment he is able to steal the Fantastic Four's space rocket!! Wow, talk about learning at work! And I wonder whether any of the readers back in 1964 were convinced by Daredevil's uncanny ability to know the schedules of sightseeing helicopters, for example. Geez. OK, not all's totally bad. Orlando/Colletta team deliver many nice pics of Karen Page, and I like the way Daredevil's eyes are black, instead of white or yellow as they were in the first issue. I wonder if there was any more thought behind this change, but it does make Daredevil look more mysterious and, well, devilish.
Nov 16 08 4:19 PM
VisualFiction wrote: Comicsdad wrote: Why is Green Goblin saying "I'm now ready to give the four of you your orders!" to the THREE Enforcers?!? You say you have the Omnibus. In my Masterwork, it reads, "the three of you", and it does look like the word "three" has been relettered. Does this mean that when they made the Omni, they went back and restored earlier artwork than what was used for the Masterwork?
Posts: 4820
Nov 17 08 3:51 AM
Nov 30 08 3:03 AM
Dec 1 08 2:58 AM
What happened to the Android after the Thinker abandoned it at the close of this story? I'm assuming Reed will again hold it in storage for him until he comes around to collect it, like last time. (??)
Dec 1 08 4:33 PM
This is apparently the debut of Marvel Girl's new headpiece? It can be seen in X-Men #6 as well, which has July cover date like FF #28. I like it better than the old one, and the new hairdo is an improvement as well.
And this issue delivered on a superhero team-up battle scene that surpasses (for me again) the cover image or the FF-Avengers cover for issue #26
Dec 11 08 12:17 PM
May 6 09 11:08 PM
May 7 09 11:06 AM
Posts: 563
Nov 23 09 1:35 PM
Silver Age
Nov 23 09 8:44 PM
It's a nice echo of AF 15 for Peter to not be concerned about fame, but about helping Aunt May, which emphasizes his moral growth over time.
Nevertheless, at p. 6 he looks like Dick Clark again.
TOS 55: p. 9: I love the Tex Avery-style hole in the ceiling after the giant spring (don't ask how the Mandarin coiled it up in the first place) knocks Iron Man clean through.
DD 2: It makes no sense at all for the attorney to go to the premises to review a lease; you just review the lease in your office.
It is just like Electro to be laid low with a firehose.
Reminds me of ASM 4 and the vacuum cleaner.
The Wasp backup is a clever use of a MU crossover for Jan to pretend to be Sue Storm. It's even more entertaining when Hank buys it. I think.
It seems awfully improbable that neither Cobra nor Hyde nor Jane notices the transformation of Don into Thor...he's definitely drawn as being in Jane's field of vision here, but she just buys Thor's ridiculous story about Blake having gone to get help or whatever and not her lyin' eyes.
Who'da thunk that Cobra would be able to take Thor's hammer away from him?
"Love? Love?!" - Storytime Family Interviewer
Nov 24 09 11:53 AM
It's Hyde's invention which actually does it, and Thor seems as surprised as anyone by it, which probably helped make it happen.
Dec 6 09 11:13 AM
Posts: 4278
Jul 6 12 10:15 AM
profh0011 said:"I've read that Joe Orlando had a lot of trouble trying to work for Stan Lee. Stan wanted Joe to plot the book, but he wanted him to plot it STAN's way. Joe reportedly kept having to make changes, and redraw page after page because Stan kept second-guessing every single idea and decision Joe was doing. Now, I'll admit, Joe Orland os not one of my favorite artists, but I have seen some decent work from him at EC, but that stuff he inked his own pencils. Having this confusing, frustrating mess up-front and THEN slapping Vince Colletta on top of it because he was begging Stan for more work and desperate to get on the super-hero titles (which even Stan thought he was completely wrong for), well that just adds to the ruination. "Incidentally, I don't recall offhand which issue it was (sure, I could look it up in seconds-- I just don't feel like it-- heh), but there's a Giant-Man & Wasp episode that Joe also worked on which Stan was so unsatisfied with, he had Steve Ditko redraw about half the pages, then (if memory serves) credited the entire job to Ditko. not only doesn't it look like Ditko (if you believe the credit, you'd have to figure Steve was having a really horrible week), but Joe didn't get paid for the work he did on it, either. The incessant 2nd-guessing finally made Orlando throw up his hands, and I don't think he ever worked for Stan again..."
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