Week Ending June 16, 1973

1973 beckons us once more, enough time had passed to get over the shock of the decimalisation of our pocket money and the metric system did not seem to present an immediate threat to our weekly comics, so come with me to the newsagent shelves of the past.

Mighty World of Marvel #37

This week's Buckler/Esposito cover is a scratchy looking affair with poor colouring, I do wonder if bashing out the UK weekly covers was looked upon as a thankless chore among the US bullpen? 

Once again the endless merry-go-round of Hulk artists takes on another passenger, this episode features none other than the great Gil Kane. I always enjoy his art, his distinctive figures and unusual angles (nostrils anyone?) are a constant pleasure to see. It is interesting to see then that his work seems a little rushed maybe, given the turnover of artists on this feature it is easy to imagine that the assignment may have landed on his desk late in the day. That said, there are still flashes of brilliance to be found in these panels. 

After the events of last week the Hulk is hailed as a hero, with the President ready to issue a provisional pardon. If you were reading this in the original comics, that President would be Lyndon B. Johnson, here in 1973, Johnson is out and Nixon is POTUS as far as Marvel UK is concerned. Hulk's position as the nation's favourite gamma monster is to be short-lived as Boomerang sabotages proceedings to make the Hulk go on a rampage. Luring the Hulk to a dam, the mercenary master of lobbing things engages his foe in a fight to the death. His plan only slightly marred by Boomerang doing the dying bit.

The second of our Hulk stories this week retains the services of Mr Kane and gives him a little more room to strut his funky stuff.

Unconscious after his battle with Boomerang, Bruce Banner is visited by the powerful alien known as The Stranger. The purpose of his visit is to use the Hulk in his plan to destroy the civilisations of the Earth and start again with the surviving members of the human race to prevent it becoming a hazard to the wider universe. 

MCU Thanos called and wants his motivation back.

 

The Fantastic Four offer up a bit of a treat this week with the origin of both Atlantis and Namor, which I have somehow managed to avoid ever reading up until now. 

Returning from Atlantis, the FF arrange an emergency session of the United Nations in order to deliver the Sub-Mariner's ultimatum from last week. The resulting scenes of a Bodavian ambassador banging his shoe on the podium, prompted me do a bit of research on Google, to find this was based on a real incident involving Nikita Krushchev, obviously minus Reed Richards and Co. At this point a UN scientist steps in to relate the origins of Atlantis and the Sub-Mariner. Reed, showing his usual class, cuts the history lesson short and recommends that the UN go to war with Atlantis straight away. At this point the UN boffin reveals himself to be none other than Namor himself and not unreasonably tells the assembled delegates to "come and have a go if you think you're hard enough" calling on his forces amassed off the coast to invade New York, which they do and jolly efficiently too.

Spider-Man Comics Weekly #18

Another improved cover for SMCW again this week, even if the Spider-Man figure feels like it may have been swiped from somewhere else.

Another one of those Spider-Man stories where the focus is less on superhero action and more about teenage soap opera and the trials of Peter Parker maintaining his secret identity. J. Jonah Jameson continues his hate campaign against Spider-Man, using the power of the Daily Bugle to whip up the fears of New York citizens. Jameson's efforts attract the attention of European psychiatrist Dr Ludwig Rinehart, who claims that Spider-Man is on the verge of a mental breakdown, much to the delight of Jonah who is more than happy to publish the Doctor's theories. Peter Parker unfortunately takes the report to heart, which is exacerbated when he starts to hallucinate several of his famous enemies. Spider-Man decides to seek the professional help of Dr Rinehart, who convinces him that a superhero therapy session is the answer and that maybe the abandonment of his secret identity will save his sanity. It is at this point that the session is interrupted by an angry Jameson who has discovered the doctor is not all he seems, bringing with him an equally irate Flash Thompson. Spider-Man quickly realises that he has been had and a short tussle reveals Rinehart to be his old foe Mysterio. It is an odd but fun story that even admits in its closing panel that it doesn't really go anywhere, other than to add an extra dimension to Peter's self-pity.

Thor is back on Earth after being told by his dad that if his human girlfriend somehow proves herself worthy in an unspecified manner, Odin will grant her immortality and they can marry. His excitement is short-lived when he finds out he has been framed for a bank robbery. Despite this Thor story spreading out over two episodes, it is another muddled, logic-defying, joyless tale. Mr Hyde wastes no time in kidnapping Donald Blake and Jane Foster before tying the doctor up in his castle (eh?) and taking nurse Foster with him to steal a nuclear submarine (you what?) Thor has no problem foiling Hyde's plan but Jane Foster manages to enrage the all-seeing eye of Odin when she acts foolishly to try and save Don Blake. I hope you didn't book the venue and catering Thor.