Tales to Astonish #65Tales to Astonish #65
Title: "Presenting: The New Giant-Man”
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Bob Powell
Inker: Don Heck
Hank Pym reaches up for a lever.
He says that
in seconds he will know if he has succeeded or failed completely.
Wasp asks Hank what he is doing. Hank doesn’t hear her and
goes right on with his experiment. Janet asks if he doesn’t
even say hello to a girl anymore. Again Hank doesn’t hear
and keeps working. He says that it works, and that the only thing
left to do is the final testing procedure. Janet shrinks down to
Wasp size and starts buzzing around Hank’s head. Finally his
concentration is broken and he says, “Oh Jan… it’s
you!” Jan says that it is nice to see he remembers her name.
Hank asks her to forgive him. He says that he was concentrating
so hard that he didn’t hear her. He tells her to grow large
enough for him to put his arm around her. Wasp says that now he
is talking and does so. Wasp says that Hank still hasn’t
told her what he is doing. Hank says that he has decided that he
needs a weapon. He shows her how his new weapon fits over his old
helmet. Hank says that he now has power befitting his position in
the Avengers. Jan says that wishes that he would miss a meeting
or two since he is beginning to sound like “that stuffy
Thor”. Jan says that she is kidding and asks what his new
power is. Hank shows her the weapon, but Wasp says that
doesn’t explain a lot to her. Hank tries to think of a way
to tell Wasp so that she will understand, but Wasp just suggests
that he show her. Wasp puts the cat Tabby down and says that they
hate long explanations. Hank says that he can use Tabby to test
his power on. Jan says that he has better not hurt Tabby. Hank
says that his power doesn’t hurt anyone. Wasp asks how it
can be a weapon then. Wasp says that if Hank is going to change
anything that it should be his lousy costume. Jan says that she
knows Hank needs his costume to hold all his technology, but that
it doesn’t have to be so ugly. Hank says that he is no
fashion model, but Jan says that he is to her. Hank tries to
protest but eventually gives in and says that if Wasp wants to
that she can go ahead.
After Jan leaves Hank tries his power out on Tabby. He activates his technology and Tabby starts to grow. Hank says that he is making him grow by remote control. Hank can’t control the speed however and Tabby shoots up. The table Tabby was under overturns and spills several power. Hank sees the way that Tabby is eyeing him up and shrinks him back down to regular size. Hank says that maybe he will grow himself so he can practice controlling the speed and not be in danger of Tabby. Hank activates the new technology. However as Tabby grows the feedback causes Hank to shrink. Hank stops it before it gets too far, but Tabby swats the remote out of Hank’s hand. Tabby leaps at Hank as Hank dives towards for the remote. Hank just catches it and shrinks Tabby before he can land. Hank says that he has to learn better control before he can use this. One of the tipped over bottles drips onto the floor. The drippings fall onto a passing spider. Hank spots the tipped over bottle and sets it upright. Hank starts cleaning up the spill and says that it would be real trouble if an insect came into contact with it.
In the next room, Jan says that if Hank is going to change his helmet that the rest of his uniform should match as well. She puts some blue shoulder pads onto the costume to match the blue addition to the helmet. Jan checks out Hank’s “kookie little control buttons” under the pads. Jan compliments her own work and then thinks that she should try on her costume to see how they look together.
Hank is finishing up cleaning as Wasp enters the room with his costume. Hank goes to change into his costume when he hears Jan scream. He runs back in to see the giant spider. Hank runs for his new helmet, but the spider swats him down and the helmet tumbles across the floor. Hank is trying not to black out. Wasp decides that she has to try and do something. She shrinks down and blasts the spider. It has no effect, but Wasp tells Hank to go for his helmet while she distracts the spider. The spider spots Hank and goes after him. Hank tells Wasp to save herself while the spider grabs Hank up in his mouth. Wasp blasts into the spider’s eyes and causes it to drop Hank. Jan tells Hank that she just remembered that he doesn’t need his helmet as he has technology stuffed under his shoulder pads. Jan forgot to put in the iso-diode, and so the ray isn’t strong enough to affect the spider, but Hank can still affect his own size. Hank shrinks down and tries to get across the room to his helmet, but he gets caught in the spider’s webbing. Wasp blasts Hank free. Hank runs to the helmet. The spider follows him and climbs onto the helmet as Hank runs into it. Hank grows up to Giant-Man size and the spider falls backward out the window. Hank uses his new helmet to shrink the spider as it falls. Hank says “thank heaven” that the spider wasn’t out of the range of his helmet.
Minutes later, Hank tells Wasp that she is a “mighty handy gal to have around in a pinch”. Wasp says that from Hank that sounds like a love sonnet. Hank says that he is beginning to think that Jan doesn’t think that he is very romantic. Jan says that Hank is as romantic as a case of the measles, but that he does look “oomphy” in his new costume. Wasp tells Hank to take her out dancing. Hank asks himself why he would need to be romantic because he is doing fine.
Avengers' Files rating: 7 out of 10
The story is a little lame in my opinion, but it’s not horrible. Though I will say that Hank Pym probably has the lamest villains in all of Marvel comics. Only he could have a fight with a cat and a spider. Bob Powell’s pencils are pretty good. It has good style, good layout, and tells a flowing story. 4 out of 5 for the art.
Title: “On the Rampage against the Reds!”
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Steve Ditko
Inker: Dick Ayers
The Marine task
forces lands on the isle as the Hulk continues to battle the
horde of humanoids. They spot the humanoids and wonder what they
are. The marines fan out and start throwing grenades at them. The
grenade lands near Hulk, but Hulk doesn’t even feel it. The
marines move in to try a direct hit. Leader watches as the
marines advance. He says that his humanoids must hurry and
capture the Hulk or they will cheat him of his prize. One of the
marine’s grenades blows up the ledge and Hulk and the
humanoids fall into the ocean. Hulk senses that he is about to
change and swims away. The Leader just orders his humanoids to
walk back to the mainland.
Back on the isle, the marines find no sign of the Hulk. One asks Talbot if he thinks that the Hulk is finished. Talbot says that he doubts it. He says that he wants a search for Bruce Banner as well.
A mile away, the Hulk’s tireless limbs begin to change back into Bruce Banner’s. Bruce struggles to the surface and is spotted by a Soviet submarine. Bruce is pulled out of the water, and the submarine’s commander immediately recognizes Bruce Banner as the famous America scientist. Bruce thanks them for pulling him out and asks if he can take him back to Astra Isle. The officer smacks Bruce to the ground and says that they aren’t going to take him back to let him use his talents for the democracies. The officer orders that Bruce be taken below and kept under guard. Bruce thinks that Talbot is going to think he is a traitor for sure now. As the submarine sinks under the water a jet spots it submerging.
Back on Astra Isle, the marines say that there is no sign of Banner anywhere. Talbot says that he must be there somewhere, but then a soldier reports that Banner was seen being picked up by a Soviet submarine. Talbot says that he knew it and wonders if Banner has defected to the “Reds” for good.
In his lair,
Leader says that once again the Hulk has foiled his plans and
escaped his trap. Leader says that he must find a way to capture
him, and that his strength would make him a perfect partner for
him. Leader says that he is convinced that he was transformed by
gamma rays. Leader wonders if he could find a way top capture Dr.
Banner. Leader says that Banner might “hold the key to the
Hulk’s secret… for wherever one appears… the other
is never far away”.
Banner arrives in a “captive European nation”. The guard tells Bruce that he is no longer in a weak democracy, and that he is going to learn discipline and obedience. Bruce is brought before an officer who is sitting at his desk. Bruce says that he is an American citizen, and that he demands his rights. The officer says of course, but brings up that Bruce was picked up in international waters and that maybe he belongs to them. The officer asks Bruce if he is hungry. Bruce says that he is starving and that they haven’t fed him for two days. The officer says that sometimes a hungry man will do almost anything for food, and that there are things that they want him to do for them. Bruce says that they can’t force him to work. The officer says that they will not force him, but that he will work if he wants to be fed.
The officer shows Bruce their weapons development labs. He points out that no one is being forced to work. Bruce asks why there are armed guards in the room. The officer says that they are to protect the workers against spies. Bruce recognizes Professor Stromm. Bruce says that he was reported dead. Bruce asks why Stromm doesn’t hear him and just looks ahead with a blank stare. The officer says that Stromm tried to leave their fair nation and work for the Americans, and so they found it necessary to “discipline” him. The officer says that now Stromm serves as an example to the others. One of the other workers freaks out as he sees that they have “captured another one”. He asks how much longer they will be “forced to work for these despots”. He says that they should revolt, and that death would be better than slavery. The man starts smashing the machine he was working on until the guards overwhelm him and beat him down. They drag him from the room into a cell. The officer asks if Bruce is ready for his first assignment. Bruce says to do him a favor and hold his breath waiting for him to say yes.
The soldiers stuff Bruce into a tiny cell and says that soon he will beg them to let him work for them. Bruce says that he is never going to agree and that they are never going to let him go until he does. Bruce says that at least when he dies that it will solve the problem of the Hulk hurting others. Suddenly Bruce realizes that the Hulk could get him out of there. Bruce thinks back on all the horrible things he has witnessed and transforms into the Hulk. Suddenly the Hulk smashes through the wall. One of the soldiers orders that the new high intensity field cannon be wheeled in. They fire the cannon at Hulk, but Hulk pulls up the concrete floor and uses it as a shield. Hulk then rips up the ground under the cannon. The soldiers then fire another weapon from a different location. Hulk leaps over the beam from the evapo-ray blaster through the ceiling and back down on top of the evapo-ray blaster. Hulk grabs a boulder to throw at them. The officer orders that the vaporizer be fired. The vaporizer dissolves the boulder as it hurtles at them. Hulk dodges the beam and then claps his hands. The force of the clap is so strong that the vaporizer and the soldiers are all knocked through the wall. Hulk walks on and at this point all the soldiers are just running from Hulk. Hulk says that everyone runs from him.
Hulk stands for a moment and realizes that his shoulder was hurt by the vaporizer. The man that was put into the cell before is free. He says that he got free when Hulk tore down the wall. The man says that was magnificent, and that now he would like to help him. Hulk tells the man to go away, but instead the man rubs some salve onto Hulk’s injured shoulder. He says that no harm must come to Hulk as long as he is fighting the evil ones. The man then gives Hulk food and water. He says that he will need nourishment. Hulk picks up the food, but tells the man to be quiet and that he doesn’t need anything.
The officer manages to call for re-enforcements. He says that the Hulk must die, and that he will keep him there until they arrive. The officer puts on a proton gun and says that nothing can survive this. Soviet forces move towards their location.
No Excuses rating: 6 out of 10
Man what a comedown from last issue. Hulk goes from battling the Leader’s humanoids to once again be “threatened” by the commies. I guess Hulk was weaker than he was now, and that they actually had some chance at hurting him, but it isn’t terribly interesting. Ditko’s pencils are okay, but the scene where Hulk leaps through the ceiling and back down onto the weapon is done very poorly.