Marvel by the Month

Fred Hembeck has spent more than four decades writing and drawing gag strips featuring just about every comics character you can think of (and a bunch you can't). His curly-Q-elbowed caricatures have graced the pages of the Comics Buyer's Guide, Marvel Age, Fantastic Four Roast, and Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe and have been collected in The Marvel Universe According to Hembeck and The Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus.

Own a piece of his original art by bidding on his eBay auctions! And keep up with his goings-on at hembeck.com. 

Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:

Strange Tales #157, written and drawn by Jim Steranko - "Crisis!"

Strange Tales #157, written by Stan Lee, art by Marie Severin - "The End of the Ancient One!"

Thor #140, written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Vince Colletta - “The Growing Man”

Avengers #40, written by Roy Thomas, art by Don Heck w/George Bell - “Suddenly… the Sub-Mariner!”

Fantastic Four #63, written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Joe Sinnott - “Blastaar, the Living Bomb-Burst!”

Complete List of Comics Published This Month (courtesy of mikesamazingworld.com): 

Amazing Spider-Man #49, Avengers #40, Daredevil #28, Fantastic Four #63, Sgt. Fury #42, Strange Tales #157, Tales of Suspense #90, Tales to Astonish #92, Thor #140, X-Men #32, ©1967 Marvel Comics. 

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.

Much of our historical context information comes from Wikipedia. Please join us in supporting them at wikimediafoundation.org.

Jordan Morris (@Midnight, Earth to Ned) is the co-host and co-creator of the world's first podcast, Jordan, Jesse, Go! on the Maximum Fun network. He's also the creator of the scripted sci-fi comedy podcast, Bubble, which he's adapting into a graphic novel and an animated movie for Sony Pictures Animation. He's great on Twitter, and as of a few weeks ago, he's now also on the 'Gram!

The Punisher was directed by Mark Goldblatt, with a screenplay by Boaz Yakin. It stars Dolph Lundgren, Louis Gossett, Jr., Jeroen Krabbé, and Kim Miyori. It was produced by New World Pictures and sold to Live Entertainment (now Lionsgate) who released it direct-to-video on VHS and Laserdisc in June 1991. You can now watch it for free on YouTube, which seems illegal but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Dennis Dreith. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.

If you don't know who John Hodgman is, then good lord, we need to fix that:

Start by listening to the Judge John Hodgman podcast on the Maximum Fun network. It's a fake internet court whose primary jurisdictions are pedantry and spouses who have come up with elaborate alternative systems for things that didn't need them (they're almost always guys, and they're almost always wrong).

Then check out some of his New York Times bestselling books, like Vacationland or Medallion Status (now available in paperback). They're like instruction manuals for weird dads who are barely coping with middle age.

Finally, the animated FXX short-form animated comedy series that he co-created with David Rees, Dicktown, is now streaming on Hulu. Imagine an adult Encyclopedia Brown who failed to thrive and still lives in his hometown, solving mysteries for high schoolers. You can watch it all in an afternoon, and you'll be delighted that you did. 

FINALLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY PLEASE VOTE AND DONATE YOUR TIME TO ENSURING THAT LIKE-MINDED OTHERS DO THE SAME!

If you are a Biden/Harris supporter and/or want to ensure that Democrats win elections up and down the ballot, please help in the way that you're asked to help and sign up for phone banking and text banking.

If you are not a Biden/Harris supporter and do not want Democrats to win in November, we respect your opinion, and we hope you'll still participate in the democratic process on Election Day, November 8th.

Issues Covered In Detail This Episode:

Daredevil #27, written by Stan Lee, art by Gene Colan w/Frankie Giacoia - “Mike Murdock Must Die!”

Amazing Spider-Man #48, written by Stan Lee, art by John Romita - “The Wings of the Vulture!”

Avengers #39, written by Roy Thomas, art by Don Heck w/George Bell - “The Torment… and the Triumph!”

Fantastic Four #62, written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Joe Sinnott - “... And One Shall Save Him!”

Complete List of Comics Published This Month (courtesy of mikesamazingworld.com): 

Amazing Spider-Man #48, Avengers #39, Daredevil #27, Fantastic Four #62, Sgt. Fury #41, Strange Tales #156, Tales of Suspense #89, Tales to Astonish #91, Thor #139, X-Men #31, ©1967 Marvel Comics. 

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.

Much of our historical context information comes from Wikipedia. Please join us in supporting them at wikimediafoundation.org.

Matt "Sugar Lips" Fraction needs no introduction, but here's one anyway: 

He’s written more Marvel Comics than most people have read, including Uncanny X-Men, the Immortal Iron Fist, Punisher War Journal, The Mighty Thor, Defenders, and Fantastic Four — as well as the Eisner Award-winning Invincible Iron Man and Hawkeye.

He won another Eisner and a Harvey Award for the delightfully filthy Sex Criminals, which he co-created with Chip Zdarsky. He’s currently collaborating with Elsa Charretier on the enigmatic crime noir comic, November. And while we hate to go off-brand, his collaboration with Steve Lieber for the Distinguished Competition on Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen is absolutely a must-read.

He's smart enough to be invisible on social media, but here's his website, which hasn't been updated since he wrote the perfect Tumblr post in December 2018: mattfraction.com

Speaking of Elsa Charretier, her Kickstarter for the second volume of her Artbook ends in ONE WEEK! And backers can get the Commentary Editions of November vol. 1 and 2!

Comics Released This Month (ones we discuss are in bold): Amazing Spider-Man #47, Avengers #38, Daredevil #26, Fantastic Four #61, Sgt. Fury #40, Strange Tales #155, Tales of Suspense #88, Tales to Astonish #90, Thor #138, X-Men #30, ©1967 Marvel Comics. 

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.

The Comics Canon is the podcast that renders judgment on the greatest comic book stories of yesterday and today, and it's one of our favorite listens. Check them out at comicscanon.com or wherever you get your podcasts!

Comics Released This Month (ones we discuss are in bold): Amazing Spider-Man #46, Avengers #37, Daredevil #25, Fantastic Four #60, Sgt. Fury #39, Strange Tales #154, Tales of Suspense #87, Tales to Astonish #89, Thor #137, X-Men #29, ©1966 Marvel Comics. 

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.

Look, 2020 has been a rough one, and nobody really feels like celebrating a birthday... until a guy riding a unicycle shows up outside their window in a Darth Vader mask, playing flaming bagpipes. Hit up unipiper.com to make someone's birthday unforgettable during a year that we'd all like to forget.

While you're at it, put your money to good use by becoming a member of Weird Portland United, which discovers, promotes, and nurtures the creators and risk-takers that Keep Portland Weird.

And don't forget to follow the Unipiper on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and freak out your extended family by sending a few of his YouTubes their way. 

Comics Released This Month (ones we discuss are in bold): Amazing Spider-Man #45, Avengers #36, Daredevil #24, Fantastic Four #59, Sgt. Fury #38, Strange Tales #153, Tales of Suspense #86, Tales to Astonish #88, Thor #136, X-Men #28, ©1966 Marvel Comics. 

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.

Ibrahim Moustafa (High Crimes, Jaeger, James Bond: Solstice, Count) didn't really win a gold medal at the 1928 Olympics, but it's a fun bit that we're not going to drop anytime soon. Keep up with all the great stuff he has going on at ibrahimmoustafa.com. Follow his Instagram action figure customization adventures and his very good political takes on Twitter, which he is on so we don't have to be. 

Joe Keatinge is the writer of Shutter, Glory, Ringside, Stellar, Marvel Knights: Hulk, and Morbius: The Living Vampire and many other great things. He was also the Executive Editor of Image Comics' Eisner Award-winning anthology Popgun. Check out his website at joekeatinge.com for a beautifully curated collection of vintage goodness, and harass him for not posting more stuff on Instagram.

Dr. Strange was written and directed by Philip DeGuere for Universal Television. It was distributed by NBCUniversal Television Distribution and aired on CBS (whaaa?) on September 6, 1978 as a pilot for a series that never materialized. We found it on the dark recesses of the internet, and you can too.

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Paul Chihara. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.

Dave Dwonch is the founder and Creative Director of Action Lab Entertainment and the writer of so many great comics for readers of all ages, including Scholastic's Vamplets, Behemoth's Prom of the Dead, and the upcoming Jenny Zero from Dark Horse. He's also the creator of the excellent Fannibal webcomic, Mind Palace, which updates twice a week at MindPalaceComic.com. Find him on the internet at outofmymind.co!

Comics Released This Month (ones we discuss are in bold): Amazing Spider-Man #44, Avengers #35, Daredevil #23, Fantastic Four #58, Sgt. Fury #37, Strange Tales #152, Tales of Suspense #85, Tales to Astonish #87, Thor #135, X-Men #27, ©1966 Marvel Comics. 

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.

Are you the sort of masochist who wants to follow along with this insane thing? Be careful what you wish for! 

October 1965: SHIELD seemed to have defeated Hydra in Strange Tales #140

December 1965: The shadowy organization of super-scientists known as THEM appears for the first time in Strange Tales #142. In Tales of Suspense #75, THEM hires Batroc the Leaper to help them steal Inferno-42

March 1966: In Tales of Suspense #78, Nick Fury recruits Cap to help him take down THEM.

April 1966: In Tales of Suspense #79, the Red Skull returns, having been awoken from suspended animation by THEM/AIM. In Strange Tales #146, Count Bornag Royale arrives on the SHIELD helicarrier to demonstrate AIM’s technology and encourage SHIELD to get rid of Nick Fury.

May 1966: In Strange Tales #147, AIM (still calling themselves THEM) launches an unsuccessful raid on the barbershop that serves as a front for SHIELD HQ. In Tales of Suspense #80, the Red Skull steals the Cosmic Cube from AIM.

June 1966: In Strange Tales #148, AIM blows up SHIELD’s captured prisoners and launches a raid on their Life Model Decoy lab. In Tales of Suspense #81, Captain America defeats the Red Skull, who sinks to the bottom of the ocean along with the Cosmic Cube

April 1966: In Tales to Astonish #81, the Secret Empire reviews footage of the Hulk escaping from General Ross’s missile base.

May 1966: In Tales to Astonish #82, we see that the Secret Empire is all about assassinating your way to the top.

June 1966: In Tales to Astonish #83, Number One of the Secret Empire watches Namor and starts plotting how to use him against the Hulk. Also in Tales to Astonish #83 (Hulk story), at a secret meeting of the Secret Empire, Number Nine blows up Numbers Two, Three, Four, Six, Seven, and Eight — now the only members left are Number Nine and Number One!

July 1966: In Tales of Suspense #82, an AIM android called the Adaptoid imprisons Cap in Avengers Mansion and impersonates him. In Tales to Astonish #84, Number One brings Namor to New York City to find the Hulk, and the Hulk heads to New York City, because he remembers the Avengers and thinks they might be able to help him find Betty.

August 1966: In Strange Tales #150, Hydra returns! In Tales of Suspense #83, the Adaptoid fails to defeat a new jobber villain named the Tumbler. In Tales to Astonish #85, Number One accidentally blows himself up in his safehouse.

Comics Released This Month (ones we discuss are in bold): Amazing Spider-Man #43, Avengers #34, Daredevil #22, Fantastic Four #57, Sgt. Fury #36, Strange Tales #151, Tales of Suspense #84, Tales to Astonish #86, Thor #134, X-Men #26, ©1966 Marvel Comics. 

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.

Joe Keatinge is the writer of so many great comics, including Shutter, Glory, Ringside, Stellar, Marvel Knights: Hulk, and Morbius: The Living Vampire. He also won an Eisner as the Executive Editor of Image Comics' anthology Popgun. Check out his website at joekeatinge.com for a beautifully curated collection of vintage goodness. And don't miss his #spinnerrackdiaries on Instagram.

Comics Released This Month (ones we discuss are in bold): Amazing Spider-Man #42, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3, Avengers #33, Daredevil #21, Fantastic Four #56, Sgt. Fury #35, Strange Tales #150, Tales of Suspense #83, Tales to Astonish #85, Thor #133, X-Men #25, ©1966 Marvel Comics. 

"Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com and follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth.