Spider-Man: "Spider-Man No More!"

Amazing Spider-Man #50 (1967)

By Stan Lee, John Romita Sr, Mickey Demeo*

So, What Happens? Spidey stops a robbery, but the Bugle's smear campaign means most people still don't trust him, and this is starting to affect Peter. Things get worse when aunt May suffers another attack of illness because she was too worried about Peter, and on top of that his grades are declining and he can't spend time with Gwen like he'd want to. He even had to refuse a job offer from Norman Osborn to keep his nights free. When Jameson appears on TV branding Spider-Man a menace once more and offering a thousand dollars to capture him, it's the final drop. Peter becomes convinced that he only became a superhero for the adventure of it and decides to quit, leaving his discarded costume in a trash can. Next morning a kid finds the costume and takes it to Jameson, who imagines that something must have happened to Spidey and immediately writes about it on the Bugle. Soon the entire city knows Spider-Man is no more, to the joy of some and dismay of others. Peter enjoys his new freedom more and more, but unbeknown to him a new crime boss calling himself the Kingpin is emerging, taking advantage of the situation to organize the underworld and join the various gangs together. The only one to notice is Fredrick Foswell in his Patch identity, and he decides to go back to crime and lead the gangs. Meanwhile, Peter finds out Jameson is keeping the Spider-Man costume in his office and becomes aware of the crime spree, initially managing to ignore it until something happens right in front of him. When a few crooks are about to kill an elderly watchmen, Peter is forced to intervene, putting them to sleep and running away before anyone can have a good look at him. The event and the face of the watchmen remind him of his own uncle Ben, and of the real reasons why he became a crime-fighter after getting his spider powers. Deciding once more he can't let any innocent come to harm because Spider-Man failed to act, Peter accepts his destiny, goes to Jameson's empty office and takes his costume back, triumphally announcing his return to the dismayed publisher a few minutes later. Meanwhile, Foswell meets the Kingpin and tries to wrestle control of the gangs from him, but the new crime lord isn't about to step aside and quickly has Foswell captured.

Ant-Man: "The Voice Of Doom!"

Tales to Astonish #42 (1963)

By Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck

So, What Happens? A certain Jason Cragg has the power to control people with his voice, and orders the crowd to push Ant-Man away from the city. A few weeks earlier, he was a simple radio announcer, and not a particularly good one at that, but one day due to a nearby experiment his microphone became radioactive and made his voice impossible to resist to. He immediately quit his job and started travelling, until eventually deciding to test himself by defeating Ant-Man and gaining control of the city. Back to the present, Cragg stirs both the general public and the police against Ant-Man, whose helmet fortunately makes him immune to the villain's powers. Hank Pym manages to get away and tries to go back to his lab to return to normal size, but when crossing a field he is found by the crowd, who use magnets to pull his helmet and empty gas canisters. Without his helmet, Hank is powerless against Cragg's voice and has to obey his order to dive from the pier and drown, but his ants are loyal and save him even without a telepathic order. Back to the lab, Hank returns to full size and prepares a plan: a few days later, the night before Cragg is scheduled to appear on live TV, Ant-Man steals a bottle of germs and a fake gun, which he then uses to force Cragg to retract his accusations againt him. Realizing he has been outsmarted, the guy tries to take control of the crowd again, but Hank had covered his microphone with the microbes of laryngitis, making his voice hoarse and powerless. Convinced that he will never regain the exact same voice, Cragg leaves the city.

Super Sunday Special: Marvel's Wackiest Ads

We all remember the stories, but they weren't (or still aren't, for that matter) the only thing Marvel was publishing back in the day. A standard comic book would count 36 pages, only 20-22 of which depicted a story. The rest were ads. Some very, very strange ads at times. Let's have a look at some of the wackiest ads from Marvel's Silver Age.

Note: A special thanks for inspiring the idea goes to the amazing blog of Dr.Manhattan (all in Italian, but well worth learning the language if you can).

Ready? Off we go!

Iron Fist: "Assault On Avengers' Mansion!"

Iron Fist #12 (1977)

By Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Dan Adkins

Background: With Misty Knight taken hostage by the Wrecking Crew, Iron Fist is ordered to break into Avengers' Mansion and kill anyone he finds.

So, What Happens? Captain America is on monitor duty at the mansion, where he is investigating Iron Fist after his battle with the Wrecking Crew, unaware that the martial artist has just managed to break into the house. From newspaper scans, Cap reads about two deaths initially blamed on Iron Fist, and then leaves the monitors before noticing a later retraction clearing the hero. Meanwhile, Jarvis surprises Iron Fist, panics an falls down the stairs. Danny manages to save him from serious harm but the butler is unconscious, and right at that moment Cap arrives and jumps to conclusions, ignoring Danny's attempts at explaining the situation. A fight begins, but good as Danny is, Cap is much better and even the power of the Iron Fist can't break through the Avenger's shield. Realizing he can't win, Danny puts himself at risk under a collapsing generator, forcing Captain America to save him and to pause long enough to listen to Iron Fist's explanation. Finally believing his story, Cap agrees to help. Sometime later, Iron Fist lets the Wrecking Crew into the mansion and guides them to the still body of Captain America, but it's a trap and the villains are locked in the Avengers training room together with the heroes. Joining forces, and helped by the room's machinery set for Thor's training sequence, Iron Fist and Cap finally triumph. After the Wrecking Crew are taken away by the police Misty and Iron Fist depart from Avengers Mansion, parting from Captain America as friends. 

Iron Fist: "A Fine Day's Dying!"

Iron Fist #11 (1977)

By Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Dan Adkins

Background: Danny has befriended Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, whose roommate is Jean Grey of the X-Men. During one of Danny's fights, Colleen's father has had his mind almost wiped out and is now in hospital. Danny and Colleen's minds have been briefly meld.

So, What Happens? Iron Fist meets up with Misty at the hospital to check on the status of Colleen's father, but the man hasn't had any significant improvement and still doesn't remember who his daughter is. Later, Later Misty and Danny go for a walk and the hero confesses to being less and less sure of what he wants. His musings are interrupted by the Wrecking Crew, who have reunited and want to make a name for themselves by killing Thor. Iron Fist and Misty fight the Wrecking Crew in order to give the police a chance to evacuate the hospital, but the power difference is too great and Danny is in trouble despite all his skills. When he tries to take the Wrecker's bar, the power of Karnilla coursing through it is more than he can handle and he is defeated. The Crew take Misty hostage, so in exchange for her life Danny offers to use his skills to enter Avengers Mansion and deactivate the alarms so that they can ambush Thor. The Wrecker agrees but also asks Iron Fist to kill every Avenger he finds. Hoping to find his old ally Iron Man, Danny runs towards the Mansion.

Avengers: "The Mighty Avengers Meet The Masters of Evil"

Avengers #6 (1964)

By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Chic Stone

Background: The current roster of the Avengers is Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man, Wasp and Captain America, who has just joined the team.

So, What Happens? After his last mission with the Avengers, Captain America tests the new transistors Iron Man has built inside his shield, allowing it to always fly back to Cap's hands. Despite a bunch of fan letters from all over the world rejoicing his recent return among the living, Cap can't forget what happened to Bucky and vows to get revenge against the man who killed him. The villain in question is Baron Zemo, who has spent the last several decades in the South American jungle waiting for the creation of a solvent capable of removing the Adhesive X gluing his mask to his face. Reading that Captain America is alive, the Baron angrily remembers how it was the hero who made Adhesive X fall on his face and decides to form a group of villains to defeat the Avengers. He quickly enlists the Black Knight, the Melter and the Radioactive Men, who spray Adhesive X all over the city. The Avengers arrive and a battle begins, but soon Cap and Giant-Man get stuck to the road and the heroes need to fall back and regroup to find a way to free them. After a few failed attempts, the Wasp remembers about Paste-Pot Pete, an adhesive expert and former foe of the Human Torch, who indeed does have a super-dissolver that frees the two Avengers. With the help of the Teen Brigade, the Avengers replace the Adhesive with the dissolver, freeing the entire city, and have a rematch against the Masters, this time switching foes to take them by surprise. The Black Knight, Radioactive Man and Melter are quickly captured, leaving only Zemo for Captain America. Cap is a fury and Zemo is about to be defeated when one of his soldiers fires his gun and grazes the Avenger. Zemo looks about to escape with a can of super-dissolver, but Cap had replaced it with tear gas, so that the Baron loses control of his heli-overcraft and can be arrested by the police.

Iron Man: "Hawkeye, The Marksman!"

Tales of Suspense #57 (1964)

By Stan Lee, Don Heck

So, What Happens? After a misunderstanding, Tony Stark takes Pepper Potts out on a date to the carnival on Coney Island, where one of the attractions is Hawkeye the marksman. Suddenly the flying pinwheel goes out of control, forcing Tony to switch to Iron Man and fly to the rescue. He makes short work of it, but Hawkeye is jealous for having been upstaged and decides to become a more famous hero than Iron Man. Overnight, the archer prepares several trick arrows and a costume, confident that his great skills will make him the equal of any other hero. He almost immediately prevents a robbery, but the arriving police believe him to be the culprit and force him to flee. He is rescued by the spy known as the Black Widow and is immediately taken by her beauty, quickly agreeing to defeat her enemy Iron Man to impress her. Later on, he breaks into Stark's factory and attacks Iron Man with rusting arrows, forcing him to flee to replace the damaged parts of his armour. Hawkeye leaves to analyze the parts left behind, but a furious Iron Man intercepts him for round two and quickly gains the upper hand. A final demolition arrow accidentally injures the onlooking Black Widow, so Hawkeye runs away to take her to a doctor while the fog prevents Iron Man from following. 

Super Sunday Special: "Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man"

The Battle of the Century (1976)

By Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Dick Giordano

So, What Happens? In Metropolis, Superman fights and defeats a giant robot piloted by Lex Luthor, but not before Lex can steal and stash away a small programming circuit for space satellites. Eventually, Superman finds Lex's undersea lab and captures the mad scientist, but once again not before Lex can safely hide his stolen circuit. Soon afterwards, Clark leaves for a conference in New York together with Lois Lane and the rest of his colleagues. In Manhattan, Spider-Man stops two thieves associated with Dr. Octopus and has a run-in with the supervillain himself. Initially defeated, Spidey nevertheless manages to find Ock's secret base and capture him in the end, shortly before leaving for the same conference Clark is going to. Unbeknown to both heroes, Doc Ock and Lex are imprisoned in the same penitentiary and become fast friends before escaping together thanks to Luthor's hidden devices. At the World News Conference, Peter Parker has an angry argument with J.J. Jameson and quits, before deciding to take a few pictures for himself. By doing so he meets Lois Lane, who in turn is angry at Clark for his meek personality. Lois and Peter have both heard of each other and immediately get along, much to Mary Jane Watson's annoyance, but before things can develop any further a fake Superman arrives and makes both women disappear in front of Peter and Clark. The heroes separately pur their costumes on and get on the scene, where Spidey thinks the fake Superman was the real deal, and Superman thinks Spider-Man is involved due to his dubious reputation. Clark quickly understands Spidey is not involved, but the frustrated younger hero is much more aggressive and volatile, refusing to listen to reason. Spying from a safe distance, Lex hits Spider-Man with a red sun ray, briefly making him capable of going toe to toe with a dumbfounded Superman and even gain the upper hand. Eventually the Kryptonian starts fighting back just enough to push Spidey away, and when the red radiation ray wears off a now severely overpowered Spider-Man is forced to stop and listen long enough to understand they have both been tricked. The heroes agree to join forces and follow the energy residue to an abandoned rail station, where they survive a number of death traps and discover the identity of their foes, as well as the coordinates for Mount Kilimanjaro. There, with some help from the locals, they find an empty rocket silo pointing Superman towards the satellite headquarters of the Injustice Gang, where Lex is using the stolen circuit to gain control of Comlab, a satellite equipped with a special laser gun. Superman stops the first laser ray from critically affecting Earth's atmosphere but is knocked out in the process, and Spider-Man - arriving on a space shuttle - is quickly captured too. Inside the Injustice Gang satellite, Lex explains his plan to blackmail the planet with a newly created giant tidal wave, but the heroes recover and, working together, start a counterattack. Eventually, Octopus realizes he doesn't want the planet destroyed and rebels against Luthor, tipping the scales enough for Spider-Man to capture them both while Superman flies back to Earth and stops Lex's tidal wave. The battle won, Superman and Spider-Man depart as friends, having also got enough of the battle on film to get back in the good graces of their respective bosses.

Fantastic Four: "The Skrulls From Outer Space!"

The Fantastic Four #2 (1962)

By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Sol Brodsky*

Background: The Fantastic Four have only recently been formed.

So, What Happens? The Fantastic Four appear to go on a crime spree, but it's actually the shape-shifting green alien Skrulls, who wish to discredit the quartet whom they consider their only obstacle to conquering the planet. The real Four meet to discuss the situation, but the army find and imprison them in special holding cells. Nevertheless, they quickly escape and come up with a plan, using the Torch as bait to reveal the real culprits. The plan is successful and the Fantastic Four battle the Skrulls, quickly gaining the upper hand and pressuring them into explaining their plan. In order to avoid the invasion, the Four pretend to be Skrulls and reach the alien mothership, where they convince the Skrull commander to leave as the planet would be too dangerous for them. As the Four re-enter the atmosphere, the Thing briefly turns back to Ben Grimm, giving Reed hope of finding a permanent cure for him. After having showed the prisoner Skrulls to the police - hence clearing their name - the Four talk them into turning into cows. Reed then hypnotizes them to make sure they stay as cows, even though one has apparently escaped. 

Captain America: "The Chasm"

Captain America #321 (1986)

By Mark Gruenwald, Paul Neary, John Beatty

Background: Trying to save a group of hostages, Captain America has had to kill one of the Ultimatum terrorists led by the Flag-Smasher.

So, What Happens? In the middle of a blizzard, Cap and SHIELD storm the Ultimatum base in the Swiss Alps, with the Avenger especially motivated to capture the Flag-Smasher after the recent events. Seeing his enemy about to leave on board of a helicopter, Cap jumps on it, and in the ensuing fight the out-of-control chopper smashes into the Alps and explodes. Both Cap and the Flag-Smasher are saved by the soft snow and resume their fight, but eventually the terrorist falls into a deep chasm. Unable to help due to the raging snowstorm, Cap is forced to dig a burrow for himself and wait until the weather improves. He's eventually able to get out and reach the bottom of the chasm, recovering the unconscious terrorist who appears to have a broken leg. Once again, Cap digs a shelter for the both of them, struggling to stay warm and keep his foe alive during the frosty alpine night. The next morning, Cap takes the now conscious Flag-Smasher and starts the long journey towards civilization, trying to explain his point of view and philosophies. He's interrupted by a Ultimatum helicopter, but it turns out to be a blessing in disguise as the hero quickly takes the terrorists down. The Flag-Smasher takes the chance to grab a gun and reiterate that his opinion of Captain America hasn't changed any despite their conversation or the fact that the hero has saved his life. However he eventually accepts he doesn't have a chance and gives up, promising to kill Cap another day. Focused on the principle that every life is precious, Cap flies the chopper back to base and delivers the Flag-Smasher to SHIELD.

Captain America: "Ultimatum!"

Captain America #321 (1986)

By Mark Gruenwald, Paul Neary, John Beatty

Background: Captain America has setup a hotline for people to get in touch with him and is travelling across America on a special van.

So, What Happens? The terrorist group called Ultimatum, led by the Flag-Smasher, hijacks a plane en route to London and threatens to kill all passengers if Captain America doesn't deliver himself to them. Wanting to save the hostages without falling into a trap, Cap gets some help from SHIELD and finds Ultimatum's base, hidden in the Swiss Alps, where he proceeds to incapacitate a few soldiers and wear one of their uniforms, complete with firearm. He eventually manages to find the hostages, but not before the deadline given by the Flag-Smasher. With only a few seconds left, Cap attacks the terrorists guarding the hostages, but when the last of them starts shooting on the crowd, he has no option other than gunning him down in front of everyone. Immediately horrified by his actions, Cap swears to capture the Flag-Smasher.

X-Men: "Too Late, The Heroes!"

The Uncanny X-Men #134 (1980)

By Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Terry Austin

Background: Most of the X-Men are prisoners of the Hellfire Club, except for Wolverine. Jean Grey has been turned into the Black Queen under Mistermind's control. The X-Men active roster is: Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey.

So, What Happens? Cyclops has been defeated by Mastermind in a mental duel, but Wolverine breaks into the room where the X-Men are kept prisoner, and at the very same moment Jean frees herself of Mastermind's control and unlocks Cyclops' helmet restoring his powers. In turn, Cyclops frees the rest of the team, allowing the X-Men a rematch against the inner circle of the Hellfire Club. Harry Leland, the mutant capable of increasing someone else's mass, makes a fatal mistake and is quickly killed by Wolverine. Colossus disables the cyborg Donald Pierce but can't prevent his escape. Likewise, Sebastian Shaw defeats Nightcrawler but has to run away from Storm, whose weather powers are more than he can handle. However, the worse is yet to come: as a blackout plunges the club mansion into darkness, Jean Grey feels herself consumed by a dark power but is unable to do anything about it. The first one to suffer her wrath is her former tormentor, Mastermind. After explaining how mentally killing Cyclops broke Mastermind's hold over her, Jean expands his mind into the universe, to the point where he can't cope anymore and simply shuts down. Jean then returns to the X-Men and together they flee the building, but within moments the darkness within her takes full control and she emerges as Dark Phoenix, destroying the team's skycraft with everybody on board. 

Super Sunday Special: Black Panther Epic Collection "Panther's Rage"

Black Panther Epic Collection #1

By Don McGregor, Rick Buckler, Billy Graham

This review is a bit different because it won't cover an individual story but an entire book from the Epic Collection line. Most of the stories included in this book are too interconnected to make sense in individual reviews, and there are just too many of them to review them all. For the same reasons, I won't go in a detailed synopsis. The book is #1 of the Black Panther Epic Collection series, collecting Fantastic Four #52-53 (1966) and Jungle Action #6-24 (1973-1976).

Broadly speaking, this volume covers three storylines. First, there are two Fantastic Four issues by Lee and Kirby, introducing the Black Panther and telling his origin story; then there is the main dish giving the volume its title: a massive 12-part Panther's Rage saga, by McGregor, Buckler and Graham; and finally a shorter arc pitting the Panther against the Ku Klux Klan, again by the same team. I have already reviewed the first Fantastic Four story, and I'll eventually get to the second too, so we can skip them for now. 

Entirely set in Wakanda, the Panther's Rage saga tells of the war between the Panther and wannabe usurper Erik Killmonger, with his group of mutates and army of soldiers. Against this backdrop, McGregor develops a number of character-driven stories, broadly discussing racism, inclusion, technology, tradition, peace and religion. Enemies aside, the four main characters are the Panther, his American girlfriend Monica, his second in command W'Kabi and his trusted advisor Taku, each dealing with their own personal demons and subplots. The Panther struggles with self-doubt, especially over his decision to modernize Wakanda; W'Kabi angrily rues the loss of the old ways and can't patch up his failing marriage; poetic and pacifist Taku has to deal with the consequences of a war he doesn't really see the need for; and Monica finds herself a foreigner in a foreign land, hated and despised by most both as a person and as the symbol of the Panther's newfound attachment for the Western world. In the background, there are war, tragedy and a long long epic journey through Wakanda as the Panther chases Killmonger to put a stop to his plans.

Thor: "Thunder In The Netherworld"

Thor #130 (1966)

By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta

Background: Pluto tricked Hercules into signing a contract imprisoning him into the Netherworld as its ruler. Thor risks his own freedom to face the armies of Pluto and free the Olympian.

So, What Happens? Judging the fate of Hercules unfair, Thor wows to be his champion. Upon entering the Netherworld, his first foe is mace-wielding Cerberus, but he is no match for the power of Thor and is quickly defeated. The Thunderer breaks into the throne room where Hercules is about to be crowned against his will, and once again promises to fight on his behalf, much to Herc's relief and admiration. Thor smashes past the footsoldiers of Pluto and relentlessly destroys their cannons and warmachines, further motivated by a feeling of danger menacing someone he loves. He breaks out of Pluto's traps, throws away the mighty Crusher, crumbles the archers' towers and is about to create a tornado when Pluto himself stops the battle. The Olympian realizes that going on would only further destroy his realm and accepts to rip apart the contract binding Hercules. Free once more, a grateful Herc calls Thor his friend, and the two of them leave together discussing the responsibilities of power.

Poll Of The Month: Favourite Classic Marvel Artist

After a trial run, let's introduce the Age of Marvel Comics blog's Poll of the Month. And what better way to start than with six legendary classic artists? Competing in the poll on the right side of the blog's home page (right in between the "popular posts" and "featured post") for the title or best classic Marvel artist are:

Fantastic Four: "The Black Panther!"

Fantastic Four #52 (1966)

By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott

Background: Johnny is going to college, where his roommate is Wyatt Wingfoot.

So, What Happens? The Fantastic Four are gifted a flying ship by an African chieftain called the Black Panther, and invited to his kingdom of Wakanda for a special hunt. Intrigued by the advanced technology of their gift, Reed accepts the invitation and the team goes to Africa together with Johnny's college roommate Wyatt Wingfoot. They soon reach Wakanda, an incredible country where the lush African jungle hides science and technology so advanced even Reed is impressed. Unfortunately, the invitation turns out to be a trap as the Black Panther appears in a full-black stalking costume and declares the Fantastic Four will be the hunted. After weakening the Thing with an electric shock, the Panther easily traps the Human Torch and causes the rest of the trio to separate, so that he can fight them individually. Susan is the first to fall when the Panther proves able to detect her by hearing and smell, and a weakened Thing is eventually defeated in a hand-to-hand fight. Reed himself doesn't fare much better at the beginning, but unbeknown to the Panther Wyatt has managed to disable his communication system and free the rest of the Fantastic Four. Together again, the team corner the Panther, who surrenders and takes off his mask to tell them his tale.

Spider-Man: "Cloak And Dagger!"

The Spectacular Spider-Man #64 (1982)

By Bill Mantlo, Ed Hannigan, Jim Mooney

So, What Happens? During a night patrol, Spider-Man meets Simon Marshall, a terrified former pharmacist turned drug maker on the run from two mysterious costumed youths named Cloak and Dagger. Spidey tries to stop them, but Cloak's cape is the entrance for a dark, freezing empty space, while Dagger can create light blades with which she kills Marshall. Eventually free of Cloak's trap, Spider-Man tries to at least capture them, but they are good enough to evade him until Dagger's mentally-controlled blade hits Spidey, leaving him shaken and cold. However, the couple don't want to harm him and teleport away thanks to Cloak's cape. Just about making it home, Spidey recovers overnight and the following day goes to the Bugle looking for information about Marshall, Cloak and Dagger. He is told that Marshall was based on Ellis Island, where the mob tested his experimental new drug on unaware runaway kids, leaving a basement full of bodies. Later that evening, Spider-Man goes to Ellis Island to check for himself, finding Cloak and Dagger who have cornered a number of people responsible for their condition. They reveal that they were young runaways who were injected with Marshall's experimental drug, which, instead of killing them like the other kids, activated their powers. Despite understanding their motives, Spider-Man believes the criminals should be handled by the justice system and tries to stop Cloak and Dagger from killing them in cold blood. Spidey is now starting to figure out their powers, but when the mobsters manage to take Dagger hostage, Cloak takes matters into his own hands and uses his darkness to make them all run out of a window and plummet to their deaths. Having nothing against Spider-Man, Cloak and Dagger then teleport away, but not before warning him that their war on crime isn't over.

Super Sunday Special: The Marvel Vault

Published by Running Press, 1st ed (2007)

Hardcover, 192 pages

Today's special is about "The Marvel Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles from the World of Marvel" (whew, that's a long title for a book!) by Peter Sanderson and the living legend that is Roy Thomas.

What Is It? The Vault is a hardcover ring binder book detailing the history of Marvel Comics, from its early days in 1939 to 2007. An updated version published in December 2016 covers the current decade too. The format is a little strange: 30 x 2.3 x 26.9 cm (or 10.7 x 13 x 1.8 inches) mean it's shorter and deeper than a regular book, meaning it doesn't fit well on a book-shelf unless placed resting on its binding.

Thor: "Behold... the Living Planet!"

Thor #133 (1966)

By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta

Background: Thor and the Recorder have travelled into the mysterious Black Galaxy on behalf of the Rigellians. There, they have come face to face with Ego, the Living Planet.

So, What Happens? Thor and the Recorder are astounded at the gigantic sight of Ego, the Living Planet, who's capable of showing a humanoid face and of talking to them. Landing on the surface, they see something similar to enormous living cells and realize that Ego is indeed a planet-size living being. Wanting to talk to them, Ego probes their minds for a familiar surface and then changes the environment around them into something resembling and Asgardian forest, where he appears as a knight. Thor and the Recorder realize that Ego is capable of reshaping matter as he wishes, and that his power is also limitless. The Living Planet intends to conquer space and wants to test himself by beating someone as strong as Thor while in human form. He proceeds to create an army of human-shaped antibodies to battle Thor, who manages to travel under the surface but has to contend with both the antibodies and the ever-shifting environment. Eventually the Recorder is almost destroyed, but Thor saves it and hits Ego with a "universe-shaking thermoblast", a thunderstorm powerful enough to damage even the Living Planet. Conceding defeat, Ego allows the two foes safe passage and promises never to threaten the rest of the universe again. Successful, Thor starts the journey back to Earth.

Daredevil: "The Final Jest!"

Daredevil #46 (1968)

By Stan Lee, Gene Colan, George Klein

Background: Framed for murder, Daredevil is in police custody.

So, What Happens? Daredevil wakes up in the prison infirmary, kayoes the inmate who was about to take his mask off and steals a doctor's jacket to disguise himself. Thanks to some abysmal security and a couple of lucky breaks, he eventually manages to escape the prison, exchange clothes with a beggar and return to Nelson & Murdock under the pretence that he was mugged. Finally free to go back home after a quick word with Foggy and Debbie, Matt pieces everything together and realizes the Jester is the man he is supposed to have murdered, and whom he later met on the subway. Matt then sets up a trap: dressed like the Jester, he goes on live TV for interviews, certain that the original criminal won't let someone else steal his thunder. Predictably, the Jester goes to the studios where Daredevil can reveal himself and eventually take him down after a prolonged fight. Unmasked, the Jester is recognized as the man DD was supposed to have killed and confesses on live TV, clearing the hero. 

Daredevil: "The Dismal Dregs of Defeat!"

Daredevil #45 (1968)

By Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Vince Colletta

Background: Framed for murder, Daredevil has been captured by the Jester and about to be handed to the police.

So, What Happens? A groggy Daredevil manages to escape, but the police arrange a manhunt and the hero is forced on the run. Since his past affiliation with Nelson & Murdock is known and he apparently doesn't have a change of clothes, Daredevil is unable to get home or reach his office to switch back to his civilian identity. After a couple of narrow escapes, he steals a coat, takes his mask off and tries the subway, but fate has the Jester being on the very same carriage. Recognizing his boots, the Jester gives the alarm and forces Daredevil to escape again, but at least the hero has a chance to memorize the Jester's voice and aftershave scent. The two of them end up on Liberty Island where DD is about to win the ensuing fight but has to save a falling policeman, who proves his gratitude by injecting him with anaesthetic. The unconscious hero is taken to the prison infirmary, where an inmate tries to unmask him.

Daredevil: "I, Murderer!"

Daredevil #44 (1968)

By Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Vince Colletta*

Background: Matt felt forced to reject Karen and the two broke up. She then quit Nelson & Murdock.

So, What Happens? Daredevil is distraught after breaking up with Karen but can't find her or explain his feelings. The Jester crime spree continues with mixed results, until he realizes someone is eventually bound to discover his secret identity and decides to fake his own death and frame Daredevil for the crime. He visits the police in his civilian identity stating he will reveal DD's secret ID at midnight on the Washington Bridge. Daredevil hears the claim and goes to investigate, but the Jester first calls for help, then makes it look like Daredevil is attacking him. In front of the TV cameras, the Jester seems to fall to his death pushed by Daredevil, with everyone unaware he had hidden a little submarine under the bridge. Framed, Daredevil is shot at by the police and forced to escape. Later, the Jester - now back in costume - promises on TV to capture the "murderer" Daredevil. The hero tries to stop him, but is felled with gas and captured by the police.

Daredevil: "Nobody Laughs at The Jester!"

Daredevil #42 (1968)

By Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Dan Adkins

Background: Matt made everyone believe he had a twin brother named Mike who was secretly Daredevil and has now died. Foggy is running for DA. 

So, What Happens? At Nelson & Murdock, everyone is mourning the heroic death of Daredevil, whom they believe to be Matt's twin Mike. Everyone, that is, except for Matt himself, who came up with that story. In the meantime, a new masked criminal calling himself the Jester is on the loose, using modified toys for his robberies. He is a former failed stage actor, who eventually decided to get revenge for his public's lack of appreciation. Candidate major Richard Raleigh reads about him and hires him to take care of Foggy, who is running for DA and he fears would be too difficult to corrupt. The Jester attacks when Foggy is out for a walk with his fiancé Debby, Karen and Matt, kidnapping the latter for leverage. Matt announces that the original Daredevil had trained a replacement before dying and switches to his superhero alter-ego as soon as he is alone. The fight with the Jester goes on longer than usual since Daredevil had not been keeping up with his training, but eventually DD lets his foe escape to find out who had hired him. At Raleigh's office, they find the candidate dead, but Jester manages to escape.