Marvel by the Month

Whatever you celebrate in these cold, dark times, we hope this makes them a little warmer and lighter. Thank you for listening in 2020, and we'll see you in 2021.Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #21 - “'Twas the Fight Before Xmas” by writer/inker Darwyn Cooke and penciler J. Bone, ©2002 Marvel ComicsUncanny X-Men #143 - “Demon” by John Byrne, Chris Claremont and Terry Austin, ©1980 Marvel ComicsIncredible Hulk #378 - “Rhino Plastered” by Peter David (with an assist by Kurt Busiek), Bill Jaaska and Jeff Albrecht, ©1990 Marvel Comics"Marvel by the Month" theme v. 2.0 by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen, with bass by Ryan ‘Biff’ Dudder. 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.

Hal Lublin is a prolific podcaster, actor, and improv comedian who you've heard on Thrilling Adventure Hour, Welcome to Night Vale, Good Morning Night Vale, We Got This With Mark and Hal, and Tights and Fights. Want to laugh until your face hurts for a great cause? Check out the We Got This! Public Domain Winter Spectacular featuring special guest, Paget Brewster, and musical guests The Doubleclicks, Molly Lewis, Mike Phirman, Carter Parton Rogers, and MORE! This pay-what-you-can show is available on HouseSeats.live through January 1st, and all proceeds benefit LIFT, empowering families to break the cycle of poverty.Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:X-Men #38: “The Sinister Shadow of... Doomsday!” written by Roy Thomas, art by Don Heck w/George Roussos; “A Man Called… X!” - written by Roy Thomas, art by Werner Roth w/John VerpoortenAvengers #46: “The Agony and the Anthill!” - written by Roy Thomas, art by John Buscema w/Vince CollettaThor #146: “If the Thunder Be Gone” - written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Vince Colletta; “The Origin of… the Incomparable Inhumans” - written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Joe SinnottComplete List of Comics Published This Month (courtesy of mikesamazingworld.com): Amazing Spider-Man #55, Avengers #46, Daredevil #34, Fantastic Four #69, Not Brand Echh #5, Sgt. Fury #48, Strange Tales #163, Tales of Suspense #96, Tales to Astonish #98, Thor #146, X-Men #38, ©1967 Marvel Comics. "Marvel by the Month" theme v. 2.0 by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen, with bass by Ryan ‘Biff’ Dudder. 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.

James Arthur M. is the host of Minority Korner, which takes an introspective look at the world through an intersectional lens. You might have also seen him on Marvel.com's THWIP! The Big Marvel Show and Marvel’s Premiere Red Carpet Specials.Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:Thor #145: “Abandoned on Earth!” - written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Vince CollettaX-Men #37: “We, the Jury…” - written by Roy Thomas, art by Ross Andru w/Don HeckFantastic Four Annual #5: “Divide and Conquer” - written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Frank GiacoiaAmazing Spider-Man #54: “The Tentacles and the Trap!” - written by Stan Lee, art by John Romita w/”Mickey Demeo” (Mike Esposito)Complete List of Comics Published This Month (courtesy of mikesamazingworld.com): Amazing Spider-Man #54, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4, Avengers #45, Daredevil #33, Fantastic Four #68, Fantastic Four Annual #5, Not Brand Echh #4, Sgt. Fury #47, Strange Tales #162, Tales of Suspense #95, Tales to Astonish #97, Thor #145, X-Men #37, ©1967 Marvel Comics. "Marvel by the Month" theme v. 2.0 by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen, with bass by Ryan ‘Biff’ Dudder. 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.

Elliott Kalan has made a career for himself out of checking items off the bucket list he made for himself when he was 14, which is a damn fine way to go through life, if you ask us.You may know him as the head writer of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return, which Robb mortgaged his house to Kickstart, or his 12-year run as writer and head writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.He's written a bunch of Spider-Man comics, including Spider-Man & the X-Men, which includes what is probably the second-most-memed comics panel of the last decade.He's been co-hosting bad-movie podcast The Flop House since 2007, long before the federal government made co-hosting a bad-movie podcast compulsory for men aged 18-25. And he co-hosted a 13-episode podcast about I, Claudius called (wait for it) I, Podivs with fellow MBTM alumnus John Hodgman.BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, he has written two fantastic kids' picture books: Horse Meets Dog (which was the first book Bryan's son was able to read all by himself) and Sharko and Hippo, out now for your holiday purchasing pleasure.Bottom line: Elliott is great. Please make the two hours he wasted doing this show with us worth his while by consuming all his media.Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:Strange Tales #161: “The Second Doom” - written and drawn by Jim SterankoTales of Suspense #94: “If This Be… MODOK!” - written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Joe SinnottFantastic Four #67: “When Opens the Cocoon” - written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Joe SinnottAmazing Spider-Man #53: “Enter: Dr. Octopus” - written by Stan Lee, art by John Romita w/”Mickey Demeo” (Mike Esposito)Complete List of Comics Published This Month (courtesy of mikesamazingworld.com): Amazing Spider-Man #53, Avengers #44, Avengers Annual #1, Daredevil #32, Fantastic Four #67, Not Brand Echh #3, Sgt. Fury #46, Strange Tales #161, Tales of Suspense #94, Tales to Astonish #96, Thor #144, X-Men #36, ©1967 Marvel Comics. "Marvel by the Month" theme v. 2.0 by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen, with bass by Ryan ‘Biff’ Dudder. 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.

Season 4 of Marvel by the Month was our biggest and best season yet, thanks to our fantastic, incredible, amazing guests. In this special recap episode, you'll hear (in order of appearance):Ibrahim Moustafa talk about the seminal Fantastic Four #51, "This Man, This Monster"Corregan Brown discuss the Black Panther's first appearance in Fantastic Four #52-53Curt Holman and Kevin Moreau from The Comics Canon podcast weigh in on whether the "Cosmic Doom" storyline in FF #57-60 is canon-worthy or notJohn Hodgman bluntly and hilariously summarize Avengers #39Noah Campbell gleefully share his thoughts about the Locust's first appearance in X-Men #24Miles Stokes from the Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men podcast x-plain what's important about the Juggernaut's second appearance in X-Men #32-33 Fred Hembeck share his thoughts about the death of the Ancient One in Strange Tales #157Joe Keatinge talk about how Sgt. Fury #35 might have inspired Inglorious Basterds and Quentin Tarantino definitely inspired himMatt Fraction coin the immortal phrase "Trojak Horsemak" while discussing Strange Tales #155Dave Dwonch compare notes with us about Iron Man and Captain America's stories in Tales of Suspense #85Jamie Wenger gamely follow along with the Secret Empire conspiracy that ran through 23 (!!) stories over the course of 13 (!!) monthsJackie Kashian explain how to approach entertainment contracts in the context of Thor #129Brian "Unipiper" Kidd express his disbelief that the "Jane Foster goes to Asgard" story is a thing that existed in Thor #136Matt Fraction (again) lose his mind at how good the Kingpin's debut was in Amazing Spider-Man #50-52Seanbaby break down the insanity that is Fat Garbage Thor in Daredevil #30Comics We Covered This Season: Amazing Spider-Man #37-52 and Annual #3, Avengers #28-43, Daredevil #16-31 and Annual #1, Fantastic Four #51-66 and Annual #4, Not Brand Echh #1-2, Sgt. Fury #30-45 and Annual #2-3, Strange Tales #145-160, Tales of Suspense #78-93, Tales to Astonish #80-95, Thor #128-143 and Annual #2, X-Men #20-35, ©1966-67 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.

Matt Fraction is a mostly unemployed comic book writer, now that Sex Criminals and Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen have both wrapped up. The final volume of his and Elsa Charretier's noir crime comic, November, comes out in early 2021. And then what's he going to do with himself? We're not worried, exactly, maybe just a little concerned. Watch this space for a GoFundMe or something.Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:Avengers #43, written by Roy Thomas, art by John Buscema w/George Bell -“Color Him… the Red Guardian!”Daredevil Annual #1, written by Stan Lee, art by Gene Colan w/John Tartaglione - “Electro, and the Emissaries of Evil!”Fantastic Four #66, written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Joe Sinnott - “What Lurks Behind the Beehive?”Amazing Spider-Man #52, written by Stan Lee, art by John Romita w/”Mickey Demeo” (Mike Esposito) - “To Die a Hero!”Complete List of Comics Published This Month (courtesy of mikesamazingworld.com): Amazing Spider-Man #52, Avengers #43, Daredevil #31, Daredevil Annual #1, Fantastic Four #65, Not Brand Echh #2, Sgt. Fury #45, Sgt. Fury Annual #3, Strange Tales #160, Tales of Suspense #93, Tales to Astonish #95, Thor #143, X-Men #35, ©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.

Seanbaby invented being funny on the internet. He continues to do it with impossible regularity and hilarity at 1900HOTDOG.com. (Due to a minor total audio catastrophe, we had to fall back on our emergency backup recording. So it's a Zoom call, but it's a Zoom call that might make you pee your pants.)Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:Thor #142 #64, written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Vince Colletta - “The Scourge of the Super-Skrull!”Daredevil #30, written by Stan Lee, art Gene Colan w/John Tartaglione - “-- If There Should Be a Thunder God!”Not Brand Echh #1, written by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gary Friedrich, art by Jack Kirby, Marie Severin, Ross Andru, Bill Everett, "Mickey Demeo" (Mike Esposito), and John Severin - "The Silver Burper!" / "The Fastest Gums In the West!" / "The Human Scorch Versus the Sunk Mariner" / "A Day of Blunder!"Complete List of Comics Published This Month (courtesy of mikesamazingworld.com): Amazing Spider-Man #51, Avengers #42, Daredevil #30, Fantastic Four #65, Not Brand Echh #1, Sgt. Fury #44, Strange Tales #159, Tales of Suspense #92, Tales to Astonish #94, Thor #142, X-Men #34, ©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.

Miles Stokes is one-half of the phenomenal Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men podcast with Jay Edidin, which you hopefully already know all about. But did you know that he also made a podcast called Thor: The Lightning and the Storm with Elisabeth Allie that's all about Walt Simonson's legendary run on the Thunder God's title? Check out both of these things and thank us later!Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:Fantastic Four #64, written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby w/Joe Sinnott - “The Sentry Sinister!”Amazing Spider-Man #50, written by Stan Lee, art by John Romita - “Spider-Man No More!”X-Men #32-33, written by Roy Thomas, art by Werner Roth w/John Tartaglione - "Beware the Juggernaut, My Son!" and "Into the Crimson Cosmos!"Complete List of Comics Published This Month (courtesy of mikesamazingworld.com): Amazing Spider-Man #50, Avengers #41, Daredevil #29, Fantastic Four #64, Sgt. Fury #43, Strange Tales #158, Tales of Suspense #91, Tales to Astonish #93, Thor #141, X-Men #33, ©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.

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.comSpeaking 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! THEM / AIM / Secret Empire backstory:October 1965: SHIELD seemed to have defeated Hydra in Strange Tales #140December 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-42March 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 CubeWhile all of this is going on...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!And Here’s Where It All Comes Together: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.

Comics Released This Month: Amazing Spider-Man #41, Avengers #32, Daredevil #20, Fantastic Four #55, Sgt. Fury #34, Strange Tales #149, Tales of Suspense #82, Tales to Astonish #84, Thor #132, X-Men #24, ©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.

We were going to drop our interview with David Currie into a regular episode, but it turned out so well, and he was so generous with his time, that we decided it needed to stand on its own as a bonus episode. David Currie's Ditko Shrugged: The Uncompromising Life of the Artist-Creator of Spider-Man and the Rise of Marvel Comics is scheduled for release in mid-October 2020 from Hermes Press. Pre-order it today from your local comics shop or your favorite independent bookstore. "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.

Check out SoundFX Studio for some awesome comic-booky t-shirts! (We're not getting anything out of this, but it's run by comics letterer Pat Brosseau, who did a very nice thing for a 15-year old Bryan.)Comics Released This Month: Amazing Spider-Man #40, Avengers #31, Daredevil #19, Fantastic Four #54, Sgt. Fury #33, Sgt. Fury Annual #2, Strange Tales #148, Tales of Suspense #81, Tales to Astonish #83, Thor #131, Thor Annual #2, X-Men #23, ©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.

Corregan Brown writes about politics, race, faith, and just about everything else under the sun with grace and eloquence at BrokenBeatnik.com. Follow him on Facebook — you'll be glad you did.Corregan also lends his time and skills to Be the Bridge, which empowers people and culture toward racial healing, equity, and reconciliation. Please join us in supporting the good work they do. (Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Vimeo)And check out Jambo Book Club, which makes it easy to add fun multicultural children’s books to a home library by sending books each month that star a child of color in an engaging story.Comics Released This Month: Amazing Spider-Man #39, Avengers #30, Daredevil #18, Fantastic Four #53, Sgt. Fury #32, Strange Tales #147, Tales of Suspense #80, Tales to Astonish #82, Thor #130, X-Men #22, ©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.

Jackie Kashian is one of the funniest nerds on the planet and the host of two amazing podcasts: The Dork Forest, where guests go deep on the things they're obsessed with, and The Jackie and Laurie Show with fellow comedian Laurie Kilmartin, where they share their joys and frustrations with the comedy business. Her latest comedy album is I Am Not the Hero Of This Story, and like everything else she does, it's very funny. Stay up to date on her goings-on by signing up for her newsletter at jackiekashian.com. Oh, and hey, it's MaxFunDrive! Become a member (or update your current membership) and support The Jackie and Laurie Show at maximumfun.org/donate.Comics Released This Month: Amazing Spider-Man #38, Avengers #29, Daredevil #17, Fantastic Four #52, Sgt. Fury #31, Strange Tales #146, Tales of Suspense #79, Tales to Astonish #81, Thor #129, X-Men #21, ©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.

Ibrahim Moustafa (High Crimes, Jaeger, James Bond: Solstice, Count) had never read a 1960's comic before we tricked him into appearing on this episode. We had him read the classic Fantastic Four #51 ("This Man, This Monster!") to hook him... and then we made him check out an issue of Amazing Spider-Man that Steve Ditko clearly phoned in on his way out the door.Keep up with all the great stuff Ibrahim has going on at ibrahimmoustafa.com. Follow him on Instagram if you love custom action figures, and on Twitter if you like people who are correct about politics. Comics Released This Month: Amazing Spider-Man #37, Avengers #28, Daredevil #16, Fantastic Four #51, Sgt. Fury #30, Strange Tales #145, Tales of Suspense #78, Tales to Astonish #80, Thor #128, X-Men #20, ©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.

Our third "Essential MBTM" episode recaps everything that we covered in Season 3, plus additional info on what was going on with the creators behind some of early Marvel's best comics. It's the perfect way to get caught up quickly, or to refresh your memory before we launch Season 4 next week!Comics We Covered This Season: Amazing Spider-Man #25-36, Avengers #17-27, Daredevil #8-15, Fantastic Four #39-50, Journey Into Mystery #117-125, Sgt. Fury #19-29, Strange Tales #133-144, Tales of Suspense #66-77, Tales to Astonish #68-79, Thor #126-127, X-Men #12-19, ©1965-66 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.

Take a peek into three classic Fantastic Four alternate realities that answer the questions, "What if...... the Invisible Girl had married the Sub-Mariner?" (What If...? vol. 1 #21, written by Bill Mantlo, art by Gene Colan w/Bob Wiacek, ©1980 Marvel Comics)... the Fantastic Four had not gained their super-powers?" (What If...? vol. 1 #36, written and drawn by John Byrne, ©1982 Marvel Comics)... the original Marvel Bullpen had become the Fantastic Four?" (What If...? vol. 1 #11, written and drawn by Jack Kirby, inked by Mike Royer, ©1978 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.

We support the following organizations, and we hope that you will consider doing so as well:Black Resilience FundTransActive Gender ProjectQ CenterOutside InBasic Rights OregonVisit Books With Pictures online at bookswithpictures.com or in person at 1401 SE Division St in Portland (open hours vary depending on proximity to apocalypse)."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.

It is impossible that you are reading this and don't already know all of the awesome stuff that Clint is up to, but just in case: https://www.themcelroy.familyComics Released This Month: Amazing Spider-Man #36, Avengers #27, Daredevil #15, Fantastic Four #50, Sgt. Fury #29, Strange Tales #144, Tales of Suspense #77, Tales to Astonish #79, Thor #127, X-Men #19, ©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.

Your time could not be better misspent than on Sean's virile new comedy site, 1-900-HOTDOG or his brain-melting math combat collectible card you know what just try it mobile game, Calculords!Comics Released This Month: Amazing Spider-Man #35, Avengers #26, Daredevil #14, Fantastic Four #49, Sgt. Fury #28, Strange Tales #143, Tales of Suspense #76, Tales to Astonish #78, Thor #126, X-Men #18, ©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.

Comics Released This Month: Amazing Spider-Man #34, Avengers #25, Daredevil #13, Fantastic Four #48, Journey Into Mystery #125, Sgt. Fury #27, Strange Tales #142, Tales of Suspense #75, Tales to Astonish #77, X-Men #17, ©1965 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.

Comics Released This Month: Amazing Spider-Man #33, Avengers #24, Daredevil #12, Fantastic Four #47, Journey Into Mystery #124, Sgt. Fury #26, Strange Tales #141, Tales of Suspense #74, Tales to Astonish #76, X-Men #16, ©1965 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.

Reading List: Amazing Spider-Man #32, Avengers #23, Daredevil #11, Fantastic Four #46, Journey Into Mystery #123, Sgt. Fury #25, Strange Tales #140, Tales of Suspense #73, Tales to Astonish #75, X-Men #15, ©1965 Marvel Comics.Dr. David Russ is the best chiropractor in Portland, OR. You can learn more about him (and see the logo that Robb designed for him) at happyspinepdx.com."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.

Reading List: Amazing Spider-Man #31, Avengers #22, Fantastic Four #45, Journey Into Mystery #122, Sgt. Fury #24, Strange Tales #139, Tales of Suspense #72, Tales to Astonish #74, X-Men #14, ©1965 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.

Reading List: Amazing Spider-Man #30, Avengers #21, Daredevil #10, Fantastic Four #44, Journey Into Mystery #121, Sgt. Fury #23, Strange Tales #138, Tales of Suspense #71, Tales to Astonish #73, ©1965 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.

Reading List: Captain America's Weird Tales #74, Young Men #24-28, Captain America Comics #76-78, Sub-Mariner Comics #33-42, Human Torch Comics #36-38, Men's Adventures #27-28.(Thanks to Tom Brevoort for his website articles and his chapters in Marvel Chronicle, which provided invaluable information.)"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.

Reading List: Amazing Spider-Man #29, Avengers #20, Fantastic Four #43, Fantastic Four Annual #3, Journey Into Mystery #120, Sgt. Fury #22, Sgt. Fury Annual #1, Strange Tales #137, Tales of Suspense #70, Tales to Astonish #72, X-Men #13, ©1965 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.

Reading List: Amazing Spider-Man #28, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2, Avengers #19, Daredevil #9, Fantastic Four #42, Journey Into Mystery #119, Journey Into Mystery Annual #1, Sgt. Fury #21, Strange Tales #136, Tales of Suspense #69, Tales to Astonish #71, ©1965 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.

Reading List: Amazing Spider-Man #27, Avengers #18, Fantastic Four #41, Journey Into Mystery #118, Sgt. Fury #20, Strange Tales #135, Tales of Suspense #68, Tales to Astonish #70, X-Men #12, ©1965 Marvel Comics.*Starting with this season, we'll be covering issues based on the month they were released, not their cover date. So this is our second "May 1965" episode. The previous one included Marvel comics cover-dated May 1965; this episode features the issues that hit the stands in May 1965."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.

Reading List: Amazing Spider-Man #25-26, Avengers #17, Daredevil #8, Fantastic Four #39-40, Journey Into Mystery #117, Sgt. Fury #19, Strange Tales #133-134, Tales of Suspense #66-67, Tales to Astonish #68-69, ©1965 Marvel Comics.*Starting with this season, we'll be covering issues based on the month they were released, not their cover date. So this is our second "April 1965" episode. The previous one included Marvel comics cover-dated April 1965; this episode features the issues that hit the stands in April 1965. We also added a few additional issues from March 1965 to get everything back in sync."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.

Note: We started out by titling these episodes with the cover date (the date that's printed on the cover), but we switched to their newsstand dates (the dates they went on sale) around episode #50. The newsstand dates for this episode are June 1963 - March 1965.Reading List: Avengers #1-16, X-Men #1-11, Amazing Spider-Man #4-24, Fantastic Four #18-38, Journey Into Mystery #96-116, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #3-18, Strange Tales #112-132, Tales of Suspense #45-65, Tales to Astonish #47-67, Daredevil #1-7, ©1963-1965 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.

"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.

Reading List: What If? (vol. 1) #1, 3, 7, ©1977-78 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.

Note: We started out by titling these episodes with the cover date (the date that's printed on the cover), but we switched to their newsstand dates (the dates they went on sale) around episode #50. The newsstand date for this episode is February/March 1965.Special thanks to: Douglas for joining us on stage; Katie Pryde for hosting us at her incredible comics shop; JL Watkins for audio production and engineering; Sara and Jack Stratton for merch tabling; Barb Allen, Katie, and Douglas for the live musical performance.Subscribe to Douglas Wolk's incredible Marvel Unlimited daily book club and forum, The 616 Society, at https://www.patreon.com/douglaswolkReading List: Fantastic Four #38, Avengers #16, Tales to Astonish #67, Tales of Suspense #65, Journey Into Mystery #116, Amazing Spider-Man #24, Sgt. Fury #18, Strange Tales #132, X-Men #11, ©1965 Marvel Comics."Marvel by the Month" theme by Robb Milne. Performed live by Barb Allen, Robb Milne, Katie Proctor, and Douglas Wolk. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com.

Note: We started out by titling these episodes with the cover date (the date that's printed on the cover), but we switched to their newsstand dates (the dates they went on sale) around episode #50. The newsstand date for this episode is January/February 1965.Reading List: Tales to Astonish #66, Tales of Suspense #64, Sgt. Fury #17, Daredevil #7, Amazing Spider-Man #23, Fantastic Four #37, Journey Into Mystery #115, Avengers #15, Strange Tales #131, ©1965 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.

Note: We started out by titling these episodes with the cover date (the date that's printed on the cover), but we switched to their newsstand dates (the dates they went on sale) around episode #50. The newsstand date for this episode is December 1964/January 1965.Reading List: Journey Into Mystery #114, Tales to Astonish #65, Amazing Spider-Man #22, Avengers #14, Tales of Suspense #63, Sgt. Fury #16, Fantastic Four #36, Strange Tales #130, X-Men #10, ©1965 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.

[Borat Voice: My Wiiiiife!!]Re-Reading List: Journey Into Mystery #97, Amazing Spider-Man #9, Fantastic Four #27."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.

Note: We started out by titling these episodes with the cover date (the date that's printed on the cover), but we switched to their newsstand dates (the dates they went on sale) around episode #50. The newsstand date for this episode is November/December 1964.Reading List: Fantastic Four #35, Sgt. Fury #15, Amazing Spider-Man #21, Avengers #13, Daredevil #6, Tales to Astonish #64, Journey Into Mystery #113, Tales of Suspense #62, Strange Tales #129, ©1965 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.

Note: We started out by titling these episodes with the cover date (the date that's printed on the cover), but we switched to their newsstand dates (the dates they went on sale) around episode #50. The newsstand date for this episode is October/November 1964.Reading List: Amazing Spider-Man #20, Sgt. Fury #14, Tales of Suspense #61, Journey Into Mystery #112, Avengers #12, Fantastic Four #34, Tales to Astonish #63, Strange Tales #128, X-Men #9, ©1965 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.

Note: We started out by titling these episodes with the cover date (the date that's printed on the cover), but we switched to their newsstand dates (the dates they went on sale) around episode #50. The newsstand date for this episode is September/October 1964.Reading List: Daredevil #5, Tales of Suspense #60, Tales to Astonish #62, Amazing Spider-Man #19, Avengers #11, Fantastic Four #33, Sgt. Fury #13, Journey Into Mystery #111, Strange Tales #127, ©1964 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.

Note: We started out by titling these episodes with the cover date (the date that's printed on the cover), but we switched to their newsstand dates (the dates they went on sale) around episode #50. The newsstand date for this episode is August/September 1964.Reading List: Sgt. Fury #12, Avengers #10, Journey Into Mystery #110, Tales to Astonish #61, Amazing Spider-Man #18, Tales of Suspense #59, Fantastic Four #32, Strange Tales #126, X-Men #8, ©1964 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.