Amazing Spider-Man 1b

Spider-Man vs. the Chameleon

by

Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

Peter Parker has figured out how to make some money. He will join the Fantastic Four and they will pay him a top salary to be on their team. Entering the Baxter Building, Peter presses the elevator button to go to their floor. But he suddenly remembers that to use the FF’s private elevator, he needs a special belt beam to access it. He gets the idea to simply crawl up the shaft, however upon opening the doors Peter sees that the elevator car is above him to block his way.

Failing to reach the top floors, Peter decides to take a more direct approach. Donning his Spider-Man costume, Peter climbs up a building across the street from the Baxter Building. As a small crowd gathers to watch, Spider-Man shoots a small strand of webbing at the FF’s 35th floor to walk along.

Inside the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four are alerted to Spider-Man's presence by an alarm. The moment he dives in through a window, Reed lowers a large plexiglass chamber to trap the intruder. Spider-Man uses his strength to force the doors apart. Once free, he starts attacking the group. Dodging a punch from Thing, Spider-Man tosses him into the Human Torch. Reed stretches to grab him, but Spider-Man entangles his arm in a web cocoon.

With Spider-Man's attention diverted, Susan Storm sneaks up behind the lad to ensnare him in rope. Just as she tosses the lasso, Spider-Man’s warning sense kicks in. He spins her around to make her dizzy, when her brother the Human Torch blocks Spider-Man's way. He encircles Spidey in his own flame lasso. Spider-Man leaps to the ceiling; when he lands, Reed stretches into a large wall to bar Spider-Man from attacking anyone else and finally asks Spider-Man what he is doing. Spider-Man explains his money situation and figures they could pay him to be on the team. He was just giving them an exhibition of his worth. The FF explain that they are a non-profit group and any money they make goes strictly into scientific research. Before they can figure out a way to help him, Spider-Man takes off.

At a defense instillation on the edge of town, the Chameleon has taken on the guise of a janitor he has hogtied in a closet. As the janitor, Chameleon has access to more restricted areas of the facility without raising suspicion. Spotting the professor he is after, Chameleon changes yet again into a Professor Newton disguise. Having stolen the professor’s identity, Chameleon sneaks into a lab where he steals some files. After returning to his hideout, with plans to sell the files to the soviets, he hears on the news a report of Spider-Man’s criminality. He makes a plan to have Spider-Man be his patsy when he steals the other half of the defense plans. Chameleon rigs up a device to contact Spider-Man through his spider sense.

While at a spider exhibition, Peter receives Chameleon’s broadcast. He wants to meet Spider-Man at the Lark building to offer him some money. Peter can’t turn it down, so he quickly changes into Spider-Man to meet Chameleon on the rooftop. As Spider-Man travels, Chameleon has already broken into the building in disguise and stole the rest of the defense plans dressed as Spider-Man. He flies away in a helicopter that was parked on the roof, just as the real Spider-Man reaches the building. As soon as he does, two security guards burst through the roof access with guns drawn. Spider-Man quickly realizes he’s been set up. He webs the guards to the roof door, before swinging off towards the helicopter.

Spider-Man chases down the Chameleon. He shoots his web from both arms extended to create a sling that he can launch himself from into the air in the direction of the helicopter. Flying over a dock, Spider-Man makes a web parachute to safely land in a docked motorboat. He drives the boat out to the sea, where he sees the helicopter approaching an emerging soviet submarine. Spider-Man webs the hatch to the sub shut. The soviets, realizing they have been spotted, quickly submerge before they can carry through on the deal. Spider-Man springs up off the boat and hit the helicopter with his web. As Spider-Man dangles from the webline, Chameleon fails to shake him loose. Spider-Man lunges up to the door of the helicopter and pulls it open to commandeer the vehicle. Spider-Man and Chameleon land before the guards on the rooftop. As Spider-Man presents Chameleon as an imposter, the criminal tosses a smoke grenade to bypass the guards. He quickly finds a private room where he can change into a disguise of one of the security police.

As Spider-Man and the cops search the building, Chameleon sneaks right past them. Spider-Man’s spider sense kicks in, alerting him to the deception. Just as Spidey spots the phony cop, Chameleon turns off the lights to add to the confusion. Spider-Man attempts to shoot web at him, but finds he is out of web fluid. Leaping at the shadowy figure, Spider-Man is again played the fool. When the cops get the lights back on, the phony cop claims that the Chameleon has turned back into Spider-Man. Panicked, Spider-Man leaps out of the building before the cops can accost him. But not before he tears a piece of Chameleon’s police uniform to reveal the Spider-Man costume lying underneath. The cops realize their mistake and arrest the real Chameleon.

Spider-Man races back home with tears in his eyes, wishing he had never got his spider powers. They only seem to make things worse. The Fantastic Four read the evening newspaper, wondering if they will have to be wary of Spider-Man in the future.

Notes

• First time The Fantastic Four & Spider-Man meet.

• First introduction of the Chameleon. A clever spy with Soviet connections, who uses disguises as his gimmick. He’s reminiscent of the Destroyer from Strange Tales #101, but handled so much better.

• Throughout this entire issue, Peter Parker keeps being referred to as Peter Palmer.

• Unintentional foreshadowing of Peter’s career as a photographer. When the crowd gathers under the Baxter Building, there is a photographer who mentions getting a bonus for a shot of Spider-Man

• It’s been previously established in the Marvel Universe in the Ant-Man stories, that ants communicate through their antennae, so apparently spiders have a similar trait and that is what Chameleon taps into to get Spider-Man’s attention.

• First time we see Spider-Man using his parachute webbing. I wonder if he got the idea from the parachute from his previous adventure in this issue.

• First instance of Spider-Man running out of web fluid as a limitation to his abilities.

Review & Ranking

This a good, fun Spider-Man romp, but it feels a little cramped with only 10 pages to tell it. The Fantastic Four meeting and the Chameleon part are just only tangentially connected. They are both done really well for what we are given. The Chameleon feels like just another soviet spy villain, but there is something about him that is a bit more intriguing than the typical ones we’ve seen.

Next Time: Ant-Man succumbs to hypnotism.

Fantastic Four 11a

A Visit With the Fantastic Four

by

Stan Lee, Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers

On a crowded Manhattan sidewalk, children and teenagers wait in line for the latest edition of the Fantastic Four comic. As the real Fantastic Four walk on by, they encounter a group of kids playing “Fantastic Four”. They show off for the children, amusing and bewildering the kids with their presence and advice. When the FF reach the Baxter Building, they run into their mailman, Willie Lumpkin. He has a huge sack of letters all addressed to the Fantastic Four. The Thing uses his strength to take the letters from Willie on one finger. Free of his burden, Willie wonders if he can join the team since he can wiggle his ears real well as a power. Reed jokes that they’ll keep him in mind.

After the Invisible Girl uses her belt beam to open their private elevator, the group ascends to their living quarters. Thing puts the huge sack of mail on the table and the Fantastic Four begin sorting through it. Thing finds a package addressed to him. Hoping it is food, Thing quickly opens it to find a spring loaded boxing glove whack him in the kisser. He starts blaming the Yancy Street Gang and takes his frustration out on his new dumbbell. 

Reed finds a way to cheer his friend up. He’s been working on a new formula to return Thing to his normal human state of Ben Grimm. Thing splashes the serum on and immediately starts looking like his human self. Johnny Storm decides things are getting too mushy for his liking and cuts off to the garage. 

This makes Reed reminisce about his own youth. Reed and Ben became friends when they were roommates in college. Ben was an All-American football star and Reed was a brilliant scientist, receiving all kinds of accolades for his dedication. It wasn’t long before both served the U.S. during World War II. Ben became an ace fighter pilot for the marines over the Pacific Theater of war. Reed, on the other hand, worked underground for the OSS, the entire time dreaming about being with Sue Storm. 

The reminiscing is broken as Sue starts feeling uncomfortable. She still hasn't made up her mind about him or the Sub-Mariner. Reed acquiesces and starts reflecting on their failed mission to space. Reminding everyone of how they got their powers and became the Fantastic Four. How despite Ben’s protests they flew a rocket right into a cosmic storm that downed the rocket and gave them their fantastic power. How after the crash landing, Ben started changing into an orange, rock-hided monster looking Thing. How Johnny spontaneously ignited. How Sue started fading away and Reed saved them by stretching his arm out long enough to signal a passing plane.

Sue breaks the reflecting again as she starts sobbing. Reed wonders what is wrong and Sue explains that she has been getting a lot of hate mail for not contributing enough to the team during their adventures. Reed reassures her by explaining to us that Sue is as important to the team as Abe Lincoln’s mother was important to him. In a much better explanation, Reed describes how she has helped. She helped them fight the Skrulls last year and she rescued them all in their first encounter with Doctor Doom. Ben gets angry with the readers, this causes him to revert back to his rocky form of the Thing.

As Reed and Sue try to comfort Ben, an alarm goes off. It must be from the Human Torch, so they all head to the garage. The source of the alarm seems to be coming from the spaceship they have from their mission on Planet X a few months ago. Inside, they find Johnny next to a birthday cake. They all surprise Sue for remembering her birthday. As they celebrate, Ben looks out of a window to see Willie Lumpkin on his way back with another full sack of mail.

Notes

This is the most 4th wall breaking issue yet. The Fantastic Four read their mail, answer fan questions and celebrate Sue’s birthday.

We learn a number of new things. Reed Richards and Ben Grimm first met in college, where they were roommates. They both served in World War II, Ben as a fighter pilot and Reed as a spy in the OSS. Reed has been pining for Sue since then (which makes things kinda icky if you think about their age difference.)

The events in this story take place roughly a year after the Skrull invasion, so we’ve had over a year of Fantastic Four already in the Marvel Universe. I know Marvel later develops the sliding time scale, but for right now that doesn’t exist and it’s more like the Peanuts or Archie where the characters just don’t age very much. I bring this up now, because this is the first reference to modern day characters having been directly involved in historical events like World War II.

The Reed/Sue/Namor triangle is brought up again as a subplot.

Review & Ranking

This is pretty much a non-story. The Fantastic Four answer fan mail and celebrate Sue’s birthday. We get some interesting back story finally on Reed & Ben. It’s too bad they didn’t have room to explore how the Storms fit into things beyond Reed wanting to be with Sue. It’s has more value to Marvel as a whole for that reason than some of the other stories around this time (Ant-Man, solo Human Torch, upcoming Thor stories for example)

This story mostly works on charm since the story that there is, is rather simple and served as an excuse to answer fan questions about the Fantastic Four. The most grating part is Reed’s explanation of Sue’s importance to the team. He gives this oblivious, sexist diatribe about Abe Lincoln’s mother and how important she was to him, despite a lot of people not knowing who she is. Besides that face palming speech, as Reed goes on the explain after that, Sue has been a major help to the team in specific situations. Besides being the only one of them to best Doctor Doom in their first encounter, she spied on the Miracle Man in #3 to help them defeat him and she helped Johnny defeat the Wizard in Strange Tales. Her infatuation with Namor has stopped him from totally defeating the team and helped get him to betray Doctor Doom on their behalf.

The rank I am giving this issue is above Incredible Hulk #4a which sort of rehashes who the Hulk is and below Tales to Astonish #35 which also reintroduced a main protagonist in the Marvel Universe, Henry Pym/Ant-Man. It makes sense to me to place it between those two.

Next Time: The other half of Fantastic Four #11 as the FF meet the Impossible Man!

Fantastic Four 6

Captives of the Deadly Duo!

Coming back from a search for Doctor Doom, the Human Torch and his sister the Invisible Girl race past a crowd of startled onlookers. When Sue reaches the Baxter Building lobby, she is greeted by a young mail delivery boy who is having trouble opening an elevator. Sue explains to the kid that this particular elevator can only be accessed by members of the Fantastic Four. She demonstrates with her special belt buckle that shoots a beam to unlock the doors. Reaching the living quarters, Sue is greeted by the rest of the team. Johnny, who I assume came in through a window, informs the team that he couldn't find any trace of Doctor Doom.

Going through their mail, Reed finds a letter from a young boy in a hospital. He realizes the hospital is right across the street, so he stretches through the window into the boy's room. The boy has so many questions, the answer we are privy to is about how the Fantastic Four's clothing remains on them when they use their powers. Reed explains...

Back in the Baxter building, Thing receives a letter from the Yancy Street Gang. They've been trying to rile him up. Thing responds by using his strength to roll a 6-inch block of titanium steel up like a newspaper and sending it to them. Ben wishes for a proper fight with the likes of Namor or Doctor Doom. Sue expresses she'd rather fight Doctor Doom rather than Namor because he is just misunderstood. He is villainous because he is hurting from losing his mind and his people for so many years.

Off the coast of New York, a group of dolphins are spotted at play. Among the porpoises is one Namor, the Sub-Mariner, also at play. While guiding them through maneuvers, an aerosub from above seeks his attention. Inside is Doctor Doom, he draws Namor out to greet the Atlantean. Doom tells Namor that their goals are the same in defeating the Fantastic Four and then mankind.

Namor guides Doom down into the ocean to his home among the Atlantean ruins. Once inside Doom expresses his desire for them to team up. He notices a photo of Sue Storm and realizes that his attraction to her is why Namor has softened in his attacks on the surface. Doctor Doom coerces Namor to join him in the team's defeat. Namor agrees, if they spare the Invisible Girl. It is then Doom reveals his method for their destruction, a small, red, cylindrical gadget he calls a "Grabber" that can attach itself to any object and, no matter the weight, draw it back towards the person with the remote control. With the plan agreed upon, Namor takes the device before he breaches the ocean.
Now on the surface world, Namor flies off to New York. Walking among a busy, startled crowd towards the Baxter Building.

Inside the Baxter Building, Johnny finds a photograph of Namor tucked behind some books. Immediately figuring out it belongs to his sister, Johnny confronts her about it. Being the obnoxious teenager he is, Johnny burns the photo up with his flame while Sue rightfully expresses that he has no right to do that. Reed and Thing find out what is going on and also express their frustration towards Sue. As she tries to explain herself, Namor himself appears in the doorway.

The three men go to attack mode, but Sue guards Namor using herself as a shield. Namor brushes her away to battle the Torch, but his flame goes out before they can really get into it. Reed asks Namor to explain himself. Namor responds he is there to offer his friendship, but Reed immediately thinks it's a trap. Johnny and him search throughout the building for any signs of tampering. Coming up short, Reed can't shake the feeling that Namor is up to something. As Namor makes plans to take Sue out of the building a loud CRACK! is heard by all.

The Baxter Building's foundation is split and the building itself starts ascending through the Manhattan sky. As the structure lifts off, Namor realizes Dr. Doom has betrayed him. He gives himself away to the Fantastic Four, explaining that he planted the Grabber device in the basement of the building and now Doctor Doom is in an aircraft above them, essentially towing them up into space. They all head to the orbit plane only to find it damaged and unusable from the tower shifting. They all don space helmets as soon as they leave the atmosphere. Johnny stupidly tries to flame on and fly out a window, before he remembers he needs oxygen to flame on. Reed stretches his arm out to save the lad.

With Thing holding onto him as an anchor, Reed attempts to stretch himself up to Doom's rocket. Just out of reach, Reed fails and the rocket flames burst in his face sending him reeling back. After they patch the injured Reed up, Thing decides to strike back the only way he knows how, by beating up on Namor. As the two of them tussle, Doctor Doom's voice reverberates throughout the room. He announces his plan to send them careening into the sun.

With the Fantastic Four basically defeated, Namor comes up with a plan. He finds a water storage tank the FF conveniently have. He douses himself in the water to renew his strength. Feeling refreshed from his bath, Namor hurls himself out to an oncoming meteor swarm. Leaping from rock to rock, Namor bounces onto Doom's rocket.

As soon as he lands, Namor is pulled down magnetically to the hull. Using his mighty strength Namor tears into the side of the rocket with his bare hands. Breaching the insides of the rocket, Namor attempts to force open the cabin door to reach Doom, when he is electrocuted. Hearing Namor's commotion cease, Doctor Doom prepares to detach the Baxter Building when suddenly he is electrocuted. On the other side of the cabin door, Namor is revealed to have absorbed the electric charges into his body and resupply them into Doom's cabin, wracking the villain in pain. Doom leaps out on to one of the passing meteors, holding on tightly as it takes him far away into deep space.

With the threat of Doctor Doom gone, the Fantastic Four are able to get the Baxter Building back into its proper space in Manhattan with Namor driving Doom's rocket to help guide it back. Sue reasserts her belief that Namor is not their enemy, but is full of pain and bitterness towards humanity for what they did to his people. Johnny finds the Grabber in the basement, but even the Thing's strength won't budge it. It suddenly drops by itself and flies off out a window. The Grabber homes in on the controls inside Doom's rocket being piloted by Namor over the ocean. Namor lets the Grabber destroy the rocket, making them both inert at the bottom of the sea. Namor decides he will return there too where humanity will not stir him up yet again.

Notes:

This marks the first team up of Doctor Doom and the Sub-Mariner. A team that will resurface several times way down the road. They even get a brief lived title in the 70's. Three other firsts in this issue, we get a name for the FF's headquarters, The Baxter Building, and we get the Unstable Molecules explanation for their costumes. Also, the first mention of the Yancy Street Gang.

We see a new power of Namor's. He can absorb and channel electricity through his body like an eel. It's an ability that is rare to use, but does come up again every so often. The explanation of him having "eel" powers is silly, but I do find it interesting that he has this ability.

Sue Storm and Namor's attraction to one another becomes a broad issue in this story. I think Johnny's obnoxious behavior is explained that he is afraid of ruining the family dynamic the team has been building. He & Sue have already lost their mother and father(as far as they know) and doesn't want things to change further. This is a very important story for Sue as a character, despite all the men in her life yelling at her about it, everything she believes about the morally ambiguous Namor turns out to be true.

The List

1. Amazing Fantasy (Spider-Man) #15
2. Fantastic Four #1
3. Fantastic Four #4
4. Incredible Hulk #1
5. Fantastic Four #5
6. Amazing Adult Fantasy (X-Men) #14
7. Fantastic Four #6
8. Journey into Mystery (Thor) #83
9. Fantastic Four #2
10. Journey into Mystery (Thor) #84
11. Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #27
12. Fantastic Four #3
13. Incredible Hulk #2
14. Incredible Hulk #3