Facsimile Editions have been a staple of comic shops for decades, and lately, Marvel has been giving the facsimile treatment for the original Kirby and Lee Fantastic Four. The latest issue is 12, which has the somewhat first appearance of the meeting of Two Titans: The Thing and the Incredible Hulk. It was a bit of a letdown for fans because even though they meet, they don’t actually have a throwdown. That doesn’t happen until NEXT YEAR!
I was going to delve into more of their Titanic Clashes, but while doing a bit of research, I found myself going in a different, fantastically fabulous direction. The issue came out in December 1962 and was one of twelve comics Marvel released that month. During the Silver Age, (do your own research!) Marvel was severely limited in the number of titles it could publish each month.
Only six of those titles were heroes, with the Fab Four guest-starring in the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man. Okay, technically, they also appear in Strange Adventures 106, but that hardly counts since the Human Torch was one of the features of the series. Thor, Ant-Man, and Iron Man have stories, but this was before they were given their own series.
Disney has this thing, the Disney Legend Award. It has been around for decades and is the company’s highest lifetime honor, recognizing individuals who’ve made an enduring impact on Disney’s creative legacy. A couple of years ago, Steve Ditko was added to the list. Cool, but what I would like to see is one given to the Silver Age Marvel Bullpen. I do not take away from the credit of other creators, like Kirby or Ditko, but there was more to Marvel, especially the early Silver Age, than heroes.
Of those dozen comics, four (a quarter!) were teen romance like Kathy and Millie the Model. I think Marvel needs to do a better job of acknowledging that, before the heroes—the likes of Millie- were Marvel’s bread and butter. Al Hartley worked for Marvel for around 15 years and contributed to titles like Patsy Walker. He was also a longtime Archie artist who helped define the look and tone of Archie in the late ’60s and ’70s, and later helped create the Christian-themed Spire Archie comics that introduced the gang to an entirely new audience.
Or Stan Goldberg, whom I have always called the Other Stan. Unfortunately, the colorist credit wasn’t added until the 1970s, but it did during the Silver Age. Goldberg would be all over the place. The colors of many of the heroes and countless covers—yep! Stan Goldberg! Virtually all of the Fantastic Four covers were colored by Goldberg. He was also an artist, working on titles like Millie the Model, and he went on to have a multi-decade career at Archie Comics.
Then there are both Marie and John Severin, Sol Brodsky, and Don Heck! And, let’s not forget one more— artist Jack Keller! Two of those Marvel Comics that month were Westerns, and Keller worked for around twenty years creating tales. Without these other creators and genres—there possibly would be no Marvel today. Sure, give credit where credit is due, but don’t forget the others who made Marvel what it is today.
About Author
