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. |
25) In Amazing Spider-Man # 18 (Nov 1964) Stan & Steve continue to pile on the absurdities. Branded a coward by the entire city, Peter Parker must endure the slights of the kids at school and the disappointment of his fellow super-heroes. His worst enemy, Flash Thompson, still Spider-Man's staunchest fan, masquerades as his hero in an effort to 'prove' his idol's bravery and gets beaten up in the process; Peter is forced to find a job in order to be able to afford Aunt May's medicine and failing, tries to sell himself as Spider-Man to a trading card company that won't see a has-been for dust and later sees about selling the formula for his webbing to a glue industry that has no use for an adhesive that lasts only an hour; his girl troubles continue with Betty Brant jealous of Liz Allen and finally, we see the ultimate absurdity of a super-hero calling in a crime in progress instead of tackling it himself! At last, fearing that his ailing aunt would have no one to care for her should anything happen to him, he avoids a fight with the villainous Sandman by appearing to flee from him in fear (the subject of this issue's classic cover image). Admitting defeat, Peter blames his Spider-Man alter ego for all his problems and vows to quit only to receive a lecture from an improving Aunt May on strength of character and being able to overcome personal misfortune. Inspired by his aunt's courage, Peter dons his costume again with a renewed optimism in life. Stan and Steve took the super-hero and the readers as low as they could go and brought them back again in a story that proved to be a benchmark in Marvel history for its sheer number of original elements.
26) Maybe more of a thoroughly satisfying epilogue than a true continuation, Amazing Spider-Man # 19 (Dec 1964) gave readers who'd suffered along with their hero for the previous two issues, the release they craved for as a re-energized Spider-Man tears into the villainous combination of the Sandman, the evil Enforcers and a host of petty thugs. Talk about action, if those seemingly impossible odds weren't enough, the issue also features special guest star and frequent Spider-Man bete noir, the Human Torch! The story opens with a page of typical Ditko-style action as Spider-Man nabs a gang of bank robbers followed immediately by a hilarious 3 panel sequence showing the change in J. Jonah Jameson's face as the news of Spider-Man's return is whispered in his ear. An interlude at school with Flash Thompson and Liz Allen and another in which we're introduced to Ned Leeds last but a page or two and from there, it's non-stop action as Stan and Steve unite Spider-Man and the Torch in an uneasy alliance against their enemies. No doubt about it, in these years, Lee and his artists had their act together and knew exactly what the readers wanted. After reading this three part story, can anyone wonder why upstart Marvel was soon breathing heavily down industry leader DC's neck? |
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27) Beneath the simple but dramatic cover of Tales of Suspense # 59 (Nov 1964) lurks ten of the most action-packed pages of comic art ever drawn. No kidding! Lee and Kirby pulled out all the stops in this debut installment of the first series for Captain America since the early 1950s. Cap's appearance in this issue (and the Hulk strip in Tales to Astonish) also marked the end of Marvel's long running fantasy features and their complete displacement by the new super-hero line. Had Lee been able, he probably would've launched these new features in their own titles, but because he was restricted in the number of books allowed him by the company's distribution deal with DC, he had to make do with pairing features in the former fantasy titles. It didn't matter to readers because for the next few years, they'd be treated to some of the greatest "double feature values" ever offered in comics! And this issue is no exception! The Captain America strip debuted with Avengers mansion being assaulted by a small army of thugs intent on stealing the team's secrets (whatever they were!). Kirby choreographs the non-stop action with such skill that a reader could swear it took place over 20 pages instead of only 10! Meanwhile, in the front half of the book, Lee and Heck were really humming with a 13 pager that had Iron Man battling the Black Knight. And for added complications, Iron Man discovers that to keep his damaged heart beating, he has to stay in his full body armor permanently! But chauffeur Happy Hogan and secretary Pepper Potts suspect foul play when Iron Man announces that their boss, Tony Stark will "be out of town for a while," leaving himself in charge. Readers had to wait a month to find out what happened next…
28) X-Men # 9 (Jan 1965) guest-starred the Avengers (in one of the earliest crossover/advertising blitzes for a new comic, the X-Men themselves were busy appearing in just about every Marvel book at the time except that of the Avengers!). With five Avengers, five X-Men, Professor X and one super-villain, Kirby (inked again by Chic Stone) had his hands full this issue; what in later years would take a 12 issue mini-series, he did in 20 pages! Somewhere in Europe, Prof. X searches out and confronts a new Marvel arch-villain, Lucifer, a being from an alien dimension responsible for crippling the wheelchair bound X-Man. Meanwhile, arriving on the continent hot on their leader's trail, the rest of the X-Men stumble upon the Avengers, who have also been searching for Lucifer. Naturally, a misunderstanding occurs and the two teams mix it up. Eventually, a mental summons form Prof. X explains all to the Avengers who gallantly allow the X-Men to finish the mission. Lucifer is defeated, but leaves behind a deadly thermal bomb designed to ignite if his heart should stop and providing the story with a dramatic climax. For this story, Lee and Kirby simply drop the reader in the middle of the action: Prof. X is already in Lucifer's lair, the X-Men arrive in Europe by pg 6, the Avengers show up without preamble on the same page and the reader is informed of anything else as the action progresses. Characterization of a dozen heroes and villains is all done on the wing and when the reader finishes, he feels as if he hasn't missed a thing!
29) Sometimes Marvel would give their readers twice their money's worth even without benefit of a continued story (and usually weren't modest about it either!) Tales of Suspense # 63 (Mar 1965) is a case in point; two complete stories told in 12 and 10 page segments respectivley, with so much happening in them that the reader felt he'd actually read two feature-length stories. In "Somewhere Lurks the Phantom," Iron Man must track down a mysterious saboteur within the sprawling Stark factory complex. Don Heck did the art chores and in his prime had a style reminiscent of Alex Raymond (unmasked, Hawkeye looked like Flash Gordon!). Meanwhile, the first Silver Age retelling of "The Origin of Captain America" demonstrated the first rule of the Years of Consolidation - which was to first give characters identifiable backgrounds from which motivation for their actions might be drawn. The consistency of the 'Marvel Universe' depended strongly on information the reader could count on to remain the same from issue to issue, even from year to year. Revealing the origins of characters became an important tool for doing just that (and when of necessity origins needed to be retold from time to time, the cardinal rule was not to change what had been established before, but simply to add more detail to the facts already knowm). Such would be the case with Captain America, whose origin became one of the most often repeated tales of the Silver Age. While use of the words 'first' and 'retelling' may sound like a contradiction in terms, in this case they make sense. Although Cap's origin was first told in the 1940s, this was the 1960s, a new era in comics that demanded the origin be retold and retooled for a new, more demanding audience. And so, here are all the familiar scenes; Dr. Erskine, the Nazi double agent, a scrawny Steve Rogers, the first mission and the teaming with Bucky Barnes. Kirby packs all the action into 10 pages, while Lee skillfully redresses scenes (that were often just plain silly back in comics' golden age of the 1940s) making them more dramatic and realistic for readers in the Marvel Age of Comics!
30) As the 'Years of Consolidation' drew to a close, Silver Age Marvel moved into a kind of transitory phase between it and the next. One of the key books of this phase was X-Men # 11 (May 1965). The most close-knit in Marvel's stable of titles, the X-Men feature had always seemed an insular one with frequent appearances by Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (who sometimes seemed more like co-stars than villains!). Examined together, X-Men # 1-through-11 form an imperfect whole with the clandestine struggle between the X-Men and Magneto the common thread binding them together. But that thread would come to an end this issue as the Brotherhood story arc reached its final, dramatic conclusion. In one issue, the threat of Magneto is seemingly extinguished with his capture by the Stranger, a mysterious, omnipotent being from space, of the kind that would become increasingly common in the next phase of Silver Age Marvel. Misinterpreting the nature of the Stranger, each side seeks to recruit him for themselves, but the Stranger has plans of his own, and after a brief encounter between the X-Men and the Brotherhood, Magneto and the servile Toad are taken into space. Meanwhile, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch quit the struggle altogether (to reappear a few months later as members of the Avengers!) and Mastermind is trapped in a stone-like form by the Stranger. Fittingly, it would be Kirby and Stone, the team whose combined art style had come to define the years of consolidation, who would mark fini to this opening chapter in X-Men history. When next we meet the X-Men, it'll be in confrontation with a villain more suited to the grandiose years than to the years of consolidation.
the next six... |
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