Arctic Ink Comics Review

After an unexpectedly stellar start , the Avengers settled into a more modest quality of storytelling while simultaneously trying to figure out how to take advantage of the elements that made it unique to begin with. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the team from existing parts with an accelerated timetable, so you can't really blame them too much if they weren't exactly prepared to ramp it up in the issues following the debut -- I'm somewhat convinced they weren't even completely aware of what they did with the first issue that worked so well.  Nonsense from space! Avengers #2: "The Avengers Battle... the Space Phantom" Writers: Stan Lee Artists: Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman Editor: Stan Lee Publication Date: September 3, 1963 Cover Date: November, 1963 Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers. © Marvel Comics. The plot in Avengers #2 isn’t anywhere near as tight as the first issue – it hinges on multiple counts of convenient coincidence, ...

Issue #7 of  the Amazing Spider-Man  is the first story in the series with a returning villain, bringing back the  Vulture  by popular demand. The old bird isn’t the deepest of villains even at this stage, but there’s something to be said for a powered crook who just wants to steal money and be a jerk: there's an old-school charm to the Vulture that's hard to completely dislike. That actually summarizes a lot about the vibe of this story: it feels like a return to the basics, with no profound introspection, groundbreaking villain backstory, or dramatic shake-up of the status quo. This is a monster-of-the-month story that’s structured almost like it was written with a checklist format, and it does it pretty well. Old man Toomes! The Amazing Spider-Man #7: "The Return of the Vulture" Writers: Stan Lee Artists: Steve Ditko Editor: Stan Lee Publication Date: September 10, 1963 Cover Date: December 1963 Art by Steve Ditko. © Marvel Comics. The Vulture...

The second issue of the newly introduced X-Men doesn’t stray too far from the path set by the first one , with the exception that it seemingly reels back in whatever suggestion there was of deeper themes or messages. This story doesn’t really even hint at any political angles or metaphors, but instead focuses on further showcasing the titular characters, now with a rare in-action appearance by Professor  Charles Xavier himself.  Improvement? X-Men #2: "No One Can Stop the Vanisher!" Writers: Stan Lee Artists: Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman Editor: Stan Lee Publication Date: September 3, 1963 Cover Date: November 1963 Art by Jack Kirby and Paul Reinman. © Marvel Comics. The first few pages of the book cover the group racing to the school summoned by a telepathic message from Xavier. This sequence is used to display their various abilities, in a format that’s certainly more natural and engaging than the awkward "test" from the first issue ....

Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko tagged in to draw Iron Man with issue #47 of Tales of Suspense , and issue #48 continues with the proven Stan and Steve creative team. This story is notable particularly as the debut of Iron Man's iconic red-and-gold suit, designed by Ditko to be a more expressive, dynamic look than the chunky old armor, which itself had already been redesigned in issue #40. The new Iron Man! Tales of Suspense #48: "The New Iron Man Battles... The Mysterious Mr. Doll!" Writers: Stan Lee Artists: Steve Ditko Editor: Stan Lee Publication Date: September 10, 1963 Cover Date: December 1963 Art by Jack Kirby and Sol Brodsky. © Marvel Comics. If the previous three Iron Man stories were a trilogy of finding the story structure and narrative elements that would make the series work, this issue certainly seems like a surgical approach to fixing what's wrong with the protagonist himself. The armor is just one of the improvements Stan ...

As Marvel established its brand over the 60s and 70s, complex characters became their brand, defined by its opposition to the clean ideals presented by DC Comics , the standard-setter at the time. Characters like Namor and Spider-Man were great early examples of dynamic creations that diverged from the concept of evil villain or infallible hero. Others like the Lizard would eventually be iconic antagonists with built-in moral complexity. The theme writes itself: a decent person is turned into a monster, and destroying the monster would destroy the person. Surprisingly, even with that setup, the introduction of the Lizard in 1963 all but ignored the moral and thematic depth the character could have displayed. The Amazing Spider-Man #6: "Face-to-Face with... the Lizard!" Writers: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Artists: Steve Ditko Editor: Stan Lee Publication Date: August 8, 1963 Cover Date: November 1963 Art by Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Stan Goldberg ...