Week Ending Aug. 18, 1973

 

This week in 1973 should have been as significant as the original launch of MWOM for Marvel UK, or at least as big as gaining SMCW as a second title. For some of us young readers it certainly was, but I don't feel that the conservative British comic market ever truly embraced the wider, connected Marvel universe. Try telling that to kids going to see the latest MCU movie now, they won't believe you.

Mighty World of Marvel #46

You are the editor for Marvel UK, you have the opportunity to use the iconic cover from Avengers #1, and yet you make the baffling choice to go with this slightly incoherent option here. Sure, it puts your known hero front and center, but you can't tell me that this mess of movement lines and swooshes would have shifted more copies than if the Kirby/Ayers classic original had been adapted.

Speaking of strange editorial decisions, I have to wonder why the Avengers were not introduced back in MWOM #20 instead of Daredevil. This would have helped keep the UK continuity closer to the original source, and might have helped make this story seem less incongruous. While this Avengers story has been rebranded as a Hulk tale, it is clearly not the Hulk we have known for sometime. Hulk is back to talking like a New York hoodlum and weirdly capable of sophisticated planning and thinking. I have read many retellings of the origin of the Avengers, but it is fun to see it here in its (almost) original format. Loki is out to get his brother Thor as usual, which leads to Rick Jones accidentally creating the Avengers. Thor does most of the heavy lifting here before capturing Loki, whereupon the rest of the team finish things up Scooby Doo style with a literal trapdoor. It might not be the best start for Earth's Mightiest Heroes but I'm glad they are here.

The Hate Monger is busy destabilising the South American government of San Gusto, something that has upset the CIA, as it clearly treads on their toes. As a result, Nick Fury has enlisted the help of the FF to put a stop to this clear breach of demarcation. Our four heroes are still under the influence of the Hate Monger's hate-ray and are all going solo for this mission. Now, if you asked me to pick a Marvel character to wage a one-man guerilla war in the jungles of South America, I doubt Mr Fantastic would have made my top 50 suggestions. Somehow Kirby makes the idea work and also make me wish that there had been more solo adventures for Reed Richards. Reed is eventually captured but freed by Nick Fury, who turns up wearing what appears to be his still shredded WW2 commando uniform, Reed and the other members of the FF are cured of the effects of the hate-ray, which is then turned upon the Hate Monger's men, who promptly shoot their boss. We are then treated to the big reveal of the Hate Monger's identity, which turns out to be none other than Adolf Hitler himself. Surprisingly, everyone takes this mind-blowing news in their stride. 

Spider-Man Comics Weekly #27

SMCW also gets an interesting choice of cover this week, rather than using the Ditko original from ASM #33, the Marie Severin/Bill Everett take from 1970's Marvel Tales #26 has its chance to shine. Not a bad shout in my opinion, the image fits the available space better and is just as dramatic without being as downbeat as the original.

Nostalgia can often lead to things gaining the unearned title of 'classic', here is one example of a comic book story that could legitimately claim that title before the ink had a chance to dry. We open with Spidey trapped in Doc Ock's rapidly flooding underwater hideout, and straight into a masterclass of cinematic style comic book storytelling. Spider-Man struggles in brilliant close-up to lift the enormous weight pinning him down for three pages before a triumphant splash page, that Ditko illustrates in an uncharacteristically muscular style. It would be pretty bold stuff now, in 1966 or 1973 it must have been even more impressive. Much of this story reinforces the concept that, reluctant or not, Peter Parker is a hero deep down and just won't give up. This works despite a couple of pages of Pete upsetting Betty Brant and playing hardball with J. Jonah Jameson for money, maybe they even add to the idea. The final pages see Aunt May cured of her radiation poisoning and a slightly more confident Peter Parker walking into the night.

After the brilliance of this week's Spider-Man story, that didn't even require an antagonist to function perfectly, it is a bit of a shame to see Thor has to deal with the regurgitated pairing of Z-listers the Cobra and Mr Hyde again. What this story does have though, is the pencils of Jack Kirby firing on all cylinders and the bold inks of Chic Stone. I don't think there is a panel here that could not be hung on your wall as a fantastic piece of pop-art. Thor looks heroic, the bad guys look sinister and the action has that epic brawl quality that only Kirby can do. The story might be on the weak side, but the visuals are of such quality, it really doesn't matter.