Editor's Note: The following piece is an expanded version of Pierre's article "The Four Fantastic Phases of Silver Age Marvel" which features in the Sept 2000 issue of that excellent publication Comic Book Marketplace, also known as CBM. Without the constraints of the printed medium, we're able to present this fuller version. You might like to compare the two! - Nick
Author's Note: Regular visitors to this site will be familiar with the four phases of Silver Age Marvel's development described here, as they continue to serve as the theoretical basis of this writer's collaboration with Gregorio Montejo in our In-depth Reviews column. I first dreamed up the idea of dividing Silver Age Marvel's development into four phases in the early '90s, just before the completion of the original of this article around 1994. - Pierre
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Part II: The Years of Consolidation
Although there were isolated examples that indicated the direction Marvel's new line of comics would take between the Early, Formative Years and the later, Grandiose Years, it was in the two years or so that separated them, the "Years of Consolidation", that certain themes would be adopted in earnest. It was in these years that Stan Lee and his stable of artists, particularly Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, began to actively exploit the disparate elements that had begun to define the increasingly popular 'Marvel style' (which they themselves had more or less stumbled upon), and started to weave them into a coherent universe. What characterized these years of consolidation? Mostly the deliberate attempt by Lee to tie his growing universe closer together, to develop its own internal consistency and give it a semblance of verisimilitude. To that end, a number of devices were used, most notably the crossover and the continued story. The reliance on multi-issue stories, some lasting more than a year, would become a hallmark for Marvel in the later, grandiose years, but began in the years of consolidation as more modest two-part tales. Also important in these years was that element of fun and excitement good writing invariably provides as Lee began to take upon himself the scripting for all the super hero titles. Such control in the hands of a writer/editor whose overall vision of the line was mature but experimental would prove crucial to Marvel's success. Lee, in partnership with such talented artists as Kirby and Ditko, whose skills were perfectly suited to the emerging "Marvel Method" of creating comics, was able to strike a balance between the melodramatic elements that made them seem realistic while at the same time giving broad hints that none of it was to be taken too seriously. And so, working within the Comics' Code, Marvel found a way to simply have fun with the universe it had created in its early, formative years, mixing and matching its elements and seeing how they turned out. And an enthralled readership was the beneficiary. |
13) But beyond the occasional serious theme, the most important aspect of the years of consolidation was just plain fun! Take Strange Tales # 120 (May 1964) for instance. The Human Torch had been starring in the book ever since issue # 101 and although stories were good, they were for the most part unspectacular (even with Lee and Kirby teaming up on the early ones). The book had become interesting on a more regular basis only when Dr. Strange took over as its permanent second feature. But with the right vehicle, the Torch stories could be as appealing as anything else Lee and Kirby put their minds to. It happened with issue # 114 when the Torch seemed to be fighting Captain America for about 10 pages and it happened again this issue. It must have seemed a natural right from the beginning when Ice Man was first introduced in X-Men # 1, a team-up of the "teenage masters of heat and cold." It doesn't take long for the action to start as Ice Man and the Torch fight river pirate Barracuda and his crew (a Hudson River pirate yet!) aboard a cruise liner loaded with "swingin' teens!" Don't think a simple pirate can be a challenge for the two super-powered heroes? Think again, as the clever Barracuda comes up with at least a half dozen ways to put Ice Man and the Torch out of action (including the use of canvas, gasoline and simple water). The issue is rounded out with an early tale of Dr. Strange as Lee and Ditko take him into "The House of Shadows." In it, Strange investigates a haunted house that turns out to be a creature from another dimension that has only disguised itself as a house! And just look at what else was coming out the same month: Fantastic Four # 26 "The Avengers Take Over!" Amazing Spider-Man # 12 "Unmasked by Dr. Octopus!" Avengers # 5 "Invasion of the Lava Men" and Tales to Astonish # 55 "On the Trail of the Human Top!" If action, excitement, thrills, fantasy and especially fun was what a reader was looking for, Marvel sure had it in spades!
14) Behind an eye-catching cover by Kirby, with its bright yellow background and heavy Chic Stone inks, Journey Into Mystery # 105 (Jun 1964) featured the first part of another Marvel continued story classic. From its opening scene with the Avengers, to Thor's quick encounter with the Cobra, through the creation of Cobra and Mr. Hyde's historic alliance (an unlikely combination of villainous talent that has since gone unquestioned), on into Thor's showdown with the two at a local machine show, the action moves along at a swift, but beautifully choreographed pace. The combination of Lee's smooth scripting and Kirby's instinctive talent for storytelling carries the reader effortlessly from panel to panel. And it's fun too as Cobra and Mr. Hyde corner Dr. Blake in his office and get tricked into allowing him to transform into Thor behind their backs. But leading Thor to a nearby machine show, the villains very cleverly relieve him of his enchanted hammer (which, as everyone knew, no human being can lift) with the use of an industrial grappler! The hammer is deposited somewhere within the bowels of the machine and the issue ends with Thor facing the Cobra and Hyde with only seconds remaining before reverting back to his human identity! Can he defeat them and retrieve his hammer before the time is up? Get this great two-parter and read it for yourself or continue on to our next entry and find out! By the way, this issue also includes the self-contained Tales of Asgard installment of "When Heimdall Failed!" |
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15) The Lee and Kirby magic continues in Journey Into Mystery # 106 (Jul 1964) as our hero Thor, deprived of his hammer, suddenly changes back to his mortal self and disappears into a crowd of people before Cobra or Hyde can notice his identity. Using a ploy, Thor, as Dr. Don Blake, tricks Cobra into retrieving the hammer, now transformed into a mere walking stick, from within the machine. With majestic mallet once more in hand, the God of Thunder strikes! Quickly desposing of the Cobra, Thor catches up with Mr. Hyde out in the streets. What follows is a typical example of what made Marvel in general and Thor in particular, such great reading in those days! The egotistical Hyde, thinking himself the master of the Thunder God, finally uses up Thor's patience. In an effort to prove to the haughty Mr. Hyde that he's no match for his godly power, Thor puts aside his hammer and determines to beat Hyde with his bare hands in the space of one minute, or before he reverts to his mortal guise. Who could ever forget those four thrilling pages as Kirby's power-packed pencils complemented Lee's breathless dialogue? When Hyde says "Human you call me? I'll show you how much more than human I really am," and when Thor replies, "What a pity that such superb strength should be housed in so evil a body," it summed up the whole spirit of the Thor strip and elevated Marvel's battles above the mere slugfests of other comics.
16) One of the places where the action of consolidation could be found in spades was in the handful of Marvel's annuals released in these years. Jam-packed with all kinds of features and spread out over 72 pages (for only a quarter yet!), they were frequently used by Lee to fill in gaps in the heroes' careers, increasing the sense of versimilatude readers were already getting from the company's frequent crossovers and continued stories. Case in point: Fantastic Four Annual # 2 (1964) in which the lead off feature didn't even star the FF! Instead, readers thrilled to "The Fantastic Origin of Dr. Doom!" in which they learned for the first time about Doom's gypsy heritage, the tragic loss of his parents, his brilliant achievements in western universities, and how he came to blame Reed Richards for the accident that ruined his face. Although Doom's retreat to a hidden monastery in the mountains (where his armor was forged) was far from original, such a stock event was overshadowed by the three dimensional quality Doom's personality was given in this story. Now readers had something to latch onto when next the villain met the FF, which wasn't long in coming! When readers finished the villain's origin they flipped through a series of pin ups and a reprint of the FF's first meeting with Doom to the back of the book where they found a brand new story. Here, in "The Final Victory of Dr. Doom," elements detailed in the origin are weaved into the plot as Doom recoils from a look at his face in a mirror and the FF discover that their enemy, as head of an independent nation, possesses diplomatic immunity! Finally, Doom is defeated not by force of arms but by his own ego. Not the usual way deadly villains were expected to lose a fight!
17) The cover of Amazing Spider-Man # 14 (Jul 1964) said it all: "Does the Green Goblin look cute to you? Does he make you want to smile? Well, forget it! He's the most sinister, most dangerous foe Spidey's ever fought!" Did Lee and Ditko have it in mind even from the Goblin's first appearance here to make him Spider-Man's most persistent enemy, the only one to come closest to ending his career for good? Unlike Spider-Man's other villains, the Green Goblin didn't come with an introductory origin or with a ready made alter ego. Behind his stretchy fright-mask and strategically placed hanging mirror, the Goblin was a complete mystery. Except for his motives of course, which were to remove Spider-Man from the scene and take over the nation's underworld (he wasn't the first villain in the Spider-Man strip nor the last to try for this elusive plum!). To do it, he poses as the agent of a movie studio offering Spider-Man a part in a film that would also star himself and the Enforcers. But when our hero appears on the set, it doesn't take him long to find out he's been duped: the Enforcers are the real thing and they're out to get revenge on Spidey for foiling their last caper in issue #10. The plot between Spidey, the Enforcers and the Green Goblin gets so convoluted that when the Hulk stumbles into the action on pg. 15, he's almost superfluous! But things finally get sorted out when Spidey subdues the Enforcers, the Hulk wanders away (probably right into his own new feature in Tales to Astonish # 59 which began only a couple months later) and the Goblin disappears into anonymity. As usual, Spidey gets the short end of the stick when the fine print in his contract prevents his getting any cash beyond expense money. In the meantime, school rival Flash Thompson threatens Peter Parker for beating his time with Liz Allen, girl friend Betty Brant is jealous and boss J. Jonah Jameson wants to kill him for coming back without a story!
18) Maybe the Hulk's appearance in Amazing Spider-Man # 14 was intended as a dry run for Ditko or simply to reintroduce the character to readers in the year or so since his own book was canceled. Whatever the reason, the next month the Hulk guest starred in Tales to Astonish # 59 battling Giant-Man before appearing in his own full-blown series in the very next issue. (Captain America did likewise with Iron Man, debuting in Tales of Suspense # 59 the following month). By this time, the strength of the super-hero line had given confidence to Lee and publisher Goodman that there was little risk in abandoning the fantasy tales that'd still been appearing in the back of some of their books. Now they were gone completely and Lee took advantage of the increased page count to consolidate his emerging universe. During the year following the cancellation of the original Hulk book, Lee had been shopping the character around, putting him in the Avengers and having him fight everyone from Thor to the FF to Giant-Man until finding a place for him in Tales to Astonish # 60 (Oct 1964). Billed as "the only comic mag super-hero soap opera in existence," Lee and Ditko turned the strip into a serial with each chapter ending in a cliff hanger. Reintroducing the supporting cast from the Hulk's first feature, the two quickly established a dynamic among the characters similar to the formula that'd made their Spider-Man strip so successful: Bruce Banner is suspected of being a communist sympathizer if not outright spy by hard-nosed General "Thunderbolt" Ross; in the meantime, Banner can hardly control his transformations into the Hulk and must keep his emotions constantly in check which in turn strains his relationship with Ross' daughter, Betty. In addition, the only person on earth who knows the secret of the Hulk is teenager Rick Jones, who still feels guilty over having caused Banner to become the Hulk in the first place and later in the series, security officer Glenn Talbot will join the cast, putting further pressure on Banner through his investigations of the Hulk and pursuit of Betty's affections. While all that's going on, the Hulk this issue must face the challenge of a powerful robot designed by his alter ego that's been stolen by a Soviet agent. Not to be forgotten in the front half of the book, Giant-Man too is faced with a communist threat as he travels behind the iron curtain to free a friend from a prison in East Berlin. But before the two men make it back to freedom, they must first destroy a secret "intelligence ray" the Soviets have invented and have already used to create a squad of super-smart gorillas! But Giant-Man (with help from Lee and artist Dick Ayers) saves the day and escapes by battering down a section of the Berlin Wall. Great stuff!
the next six... |
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