When Lands The Saucer!

In looking at the early issues of the ambitious 1968 Silver Surfer series, it's puzzling to see the approach that writer Stan Lee took with the character following the Surfer's very successful string of appearances in the pages of Fantastic Four. In that comic, the Surfer was something of a wanderer, a character who stood apart, limiting his contact with humans and being content to explore the planet from his vantage point in the sky--and though he eventually concluded that the human race was warring, savage, and self-destructive, he was never hounded and shunned in the same manner as the Hulk, nor was he the victim of aggression or hatred. Yet once he began starring in his own series, the Surfer was immediately made into a figure of suffering, and became more self-absorbed with his predicament--despondent at his imprisonment on our world, and finding himself persecuted by the very humans he would attempt to help.

Now in the spotlight of his own comic book, it was perhaps understandable that Lee would want to raise his profile from what it had been in Fantastic Four and find some sort of angle to make him more relatable to his readers--that is to say, more sellable. With the preliminaries over and his origin well-explained in his opening issue, all eyes were undoubtedly on the crucial second issue, which would give us some idea of what Marvel was going to do with this character. For the first time since his solo story in the 1967 FF annual, the Surfer would be the principal character who drove the story and was responsible for holding the attention and interest of the reader in a (bimonthly) 40-page issue. A forty-page issue. How would he spend his time on our world, and in all of those pages? In what way(s) would he interact, as he now must, with the humans he had been content to leave to their own devices? How would so different a hero from the more conventional ones in Marvel's lineup sustain a larger, more expensive comic? What sort of adventures could the Silver Surfer have on our planet that a reader would be excited about? The second issue would be looked at to point the way--expectations would be high, and a lot was presumably riding on how the issue would integrate the Silver Surfer to a life spent on Earth, and with Earthlings.

And yet issue #2 chooses to go off-world for its enemy, and likely evokes an unwelcome question:

"Good lord--alien invaders, so soon?"

The (Mis)Judgment Of Odin!

In Parts One and Two of the fierce battle between Thor and the evil warrior-sorcerers known as the Enchanters, the Asgardians waged their battle on two fronts: Thor and his friends, Balder the Brave and the lady Sif, engaged the Enchanters Magnir and Brona on Earth, while the third Enchanter, Forsung, met Odin in a deadly duel in Asgard. Thor and his comrades managed to prevail, partly because of the powers of all participants except for Odin and Forsung being removed due to the conditions that the two established for their own conflict. But with Brona and Magnir vanquished, the question remains: What of Odin?

With no word forthcoming on the fate of their liege, Thor turns the Enchanters over to the N.Y.P.D., with the assurance that the Asgardians will again be at their service should the captives break free. Which leaves the stranded Asgardians pondering their fate, including one who ponders his own conflicting feelings regarding Thor's beloved.

Since Balder appears to be in no shortage of females ready to step in and make him forget all about the lady What's-Her-Name, it's time to move on to the more pressing matter of the one thread left hanging from the story--the victor of the vicious battle between Odin and Forsung. And we learn of the result in no uncertain terms, as Odin declares his victory in defiant, raging, and almost deafening words.

It would seem that Odin is sending a message to any other presumptuous challengers who might dare to take him on and attempt to remove him from the throne of Asgard--a message that makes it clear that there can only be one fate for anyone who's foolish enough to try. You might have the impression that Odin is going way overboard here, acting almost like a madman who's obsessed with keeping a tight grip on the power he holds in his position, even to the point of striking terror into the hearts of his own subjects--on the other hand, have you met Odin?

At any rate, Odin begins taking names and putting his house in order. The first order of business is to make sure the remaining Enchanters are dealt with, harshly and for all time--which also frees up a police detention cell, and lets a few very nervous guards off the hook.

From there, Odin moves on to his stranded subjects, while also feeling obliged to eavesdrop.

Both Sif and Balder re-pledge their fealty, and are subsequently spirited back to Asgard. But Thor will find that Odin, in his current mood, has no patience for an Asgardian who prefers to be an Asgardian in name only.

Odin often takes a disciplinary, almost brutal approach in his dealings with Thor--and in doing so here, he would seem to be depriving himself of a considerable advantage when it comes to the security of Asgard, since an exiled, powerless Thor isn't going to do Asgard any good if there are enemies at the gates, nor is Odin likely to relent and communicate with Thor if he's in need of him. Perhaps there are times when a father should take a step back and leave well enough alone. So Thor prefers to stay and help the mortals on Earth--so what? It's really not such a bad compromise for Odin to make, since Thor will still drop everything and return to Asgard to fight in its defense if the need should be there. Does Odin really need to have that daily "Hail, my liege!" from Thor every morning?

Perhaps the closest thing we have to an answer as to why Odin feels so strongly about this issue can be found in the story arc which introduces the mortal "Red" Norvell as the new Thor--a development made possible by a contingency plan set in motion by Odin, thanks to his son's constant absences from the realm.

How ironic, then, that Odin's plan only makes the situation worse.

As for the here and now, Odin would indeed return his son's power six issues later, claiming that his "discipline" of Thor was necessary because his son had lost his humility. Baloney. Odin was a raging loon at the time he acted against Thor, and his only intent was showing his son the penalty for disobedience.

This Battleground Earth!

If you're an Asgardian, you generally live under the threat of two main threats: Ragnarok, and those who wish to either conquer or destroy your realm. Enemies can strike at any time--and so when you get wind of an enemy that might be feeling confident enough to take on the forces of Asgard, you take it seriously and investigate. Consequently, we find the lady Sif and Balder the Brave galloping through the land of Ringsfjord, where the evil Enchanters are said to be girding for war. Unfortunately, the reports prove to be true--and Balder and Sif encounter the deadly trio as they prepare to strike on two fronts.

The Enchanters appear to be a core group of warriors who also have the advantage of a high level of sorcery. In addition, as we've seen, each wears an emblem of the Living Talisman, which can take powerful humanoid form to deal with enemies but which also serves in a strategic capacity. The Enchanters simply spring forth in the pages of Thor, without the reader learning of their origin or knowing how they can be so confident of victory--but the threat to Asgard is real enough for writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby to stretch their campaign into a 1967 two-part story.

Sif and Balder escape with their lives and head to Earth to warn the Thunder God, Thor, as well as to have his assistance in the coming battle with these three foes. You'd think they would have instead reported back to Odin, whose orders sent them on this mission, instead of detouring all the way to Earth; the Enchanters are clearly prepared to make their move, and the first duty of Sif and Balder, after all, is to warn Asgard. As it turns out, the two Asgardians have played right into the Enchanters' hands.

It takes most of this opening issue for us to get this far in the story; we spend a few pages with Thor as he stops in at a soda shoppe, while more pages have Balder and Sif struggling in battle with the humanoid Talisman as well as with another strike from the Enchanters themselves. (There's also a Tales Of Asgard segment competing for story space in the issue.) By the time Part One draws to a close, however, things are revving up: The Enchanters split their forces, with Brona and Magnir heading toward Earth to dispose of Thor and his two friends, while Forsung travels to Asgard to directly challenge Odin.

You would think the last thing Thor's team needs right now is a distraction, since an imminent threat from the Enchanters isn't to be taken lightly--but, good grief, Balder, where the heck is this coming from??

While Thor is fighting for his life against the Enchanters, is Balder going to be putting the moves on the lady Sif?

His Vengeance--Her Death

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

Power To The People!

Of the collection of the Marvel 25¢ large-format books that very briefly hit the comics shelves in late 1971, one of the stand-outs turned out to be issue #143 of Captain America and the Falcon--not so much because of the story's climax or the revelation of the behind-the-scenes mystery villain, but for the issue at the heart of the story, as well as the characterization of and interaction between two of its central characters. The easy assumption to make is that those two people are Cap and the Falcon; instead, the pair who will likely hold the reader's interest to a greater degree are Sam Wilson, the Falcon's civilian identity, and Leila Taylor, a woman with a militant bent who resides in Harlem during the time when racial tensions were escalating and pitting the neighborhood's activists against law enforcement and white establishment.

It's an ambitious story set in motion by Stan Lee but expanded on and taken to its conclusion by Gary Friedrich, set in the backdrop of a neighborhood whose residents had become bitter and angry at living conditions and the poor prospects of improving their economic standing. It's easy to see where Sam might fit into this story--a social worker based in Harlem who does his best to steer its residents toward available jobs and educational opportunities--while Cap, who's recently struck up a partnership with the Falcon, begins to further acclimate to the neighborhood when he's asked by the police commissioner to assume an undercover role as a police officer in order to investigate a string of mysterious disappearances in the area. That case is solved when he and the Falcon go after the Grey Gargoyle--but by then, two meetings have taken place in prior stories that will leave impressions on each of these men and carry them through the events of this issue's climax.

For Cap, he meets the Reverend Garcia, a charitable man who runs a local boys' club and who Cap, in his role as Officer Steve Rogers, finds common ground with following an altercation with some riled-up locals. Garcia has a great deal of faith in those who believe themselves to be beyond help, and is often willing to go the extra mile to help them find the confidence they need to pull themselves up, a perspective which naturally reaches Cap on a fundamental level. As for Sam, he receives a visit at his office from Leila, a woman who's dead set on getting him to change his point of view on his approach to the problems facing Harlem's residents. Leila's thrown in with the "People's Militia," a group of locals who have adopted a more militant stance to confront and lash out against those they believe are taking advantage of them--at least, that's what it would probably look like on paper. In the story we'll see that the so-called Militia is focused mostly on venting their anger, and at times their targets are picked without reason or forethought--though both of those things are clearly being applied by their masked figurehead known as "the Man," who appears to have a purpose beyond siding with Leila and her group for "the cause."

For now, Lee lays the groundwork for the conflict to come, both through Cap's work on the streets as a rookie cop and by having Leila make the rounds to presumably form ties with those who could benefit the militia. Leila is a striking figure as rendered by artist John Romita, who does outstanding work on this issue--yet her personality and assertiveness are equally impressive as she takes Sam's measure. Sam is obviously drawn to her--and while she may feel the same, she doesn't give an inch of ground in letting Sam know where her priorities lie.

When Friedrich takes over as the book's writer, Leila also goes straight to the source of a perceived cover-up (would you expect her to settle for less?) and confronts the police commissioner as he visits Garcia, who's recuperating after his treatment by the Gargoyle. Yet Garcia believes just as fervently in his own approach, so discordant with Leila's uncompromising methods--and while she'll turn a deaf ear to his words, Garcia will at least make sure that she hears them.

As this story finally reaches its conclusion in issue #143, things have reached a fever pitch, and the Militia is ready to back up its threats with action--thanks to "the Man," who has stoked the fires of their discontent and turned it into sheer rage. Will we indeed see "power to the people"? Or does the true power to this situation lie elsewhere?

Going... Going... Gone!

We know that a story featuring the incredible Hulk is going to be action-packed, for the most part--but apparently the caption writer for this cover of Tales To Astonish felt that we needed to be jolted with a virtual cattle prod in order to get that point across.

If we're all done wincing, it's worth noting that even the Hulk seems to be trying to reach out to crush the caption of "go Go GO HULK!" like a ripe tomato. It's easy to picture someone like Rick Jones egging the Hulk on with those words--but as a sales device, encouraging the reader to get into the spirit of rooting for the Hulk to prevail, it seems a little, I don't know, pushy? Marvel isn't exactly reticent about slapping motivational captions on its covers, ads, and splash pages, but this one seems to go beyond suggesting feelings of excitement and instead making the decision for us.

At any rate, let's take a peek within and see why the Hulk needs to be go go going and where he's supposed to be going to. From the story's splash page, it looks like he's on his way to outer space!

Beware The Future--Beware The Mutates!

As often as Pluto, Lord of the Netherworld, insinuates himself into the affairs of mortals, he might as well just assume leadership of the Masters of Evil and get it over with. Pluto, as we know from stories past, regards his status as ruler of the netherworld as being under lock and key by his brother, Zeus, who has consigned him there indefinitely. Consequently, he schemes to find a way to bypass Zeus's edict (as he did when deceiving Hercules into taking his place), or disregarding it entirely in order to make incursions into other worlds or realms.

When his attempt with Hercules failed with the interference of Thor, Pluto returned to his scheming--and in a two-part story from 1969, he boldly seeks to conquer Earth, completely unmindful of the wrath of Zeus at this bid to escape his fate in the netherworld.

The only way for Pluto's plans to move forward is to ignore a gaping plot hole by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby: How will Pluto succeed in such an audacious scheme without fear of reprisal by Zeus? For the duration of this story, there appear to be no provisions made by Pluto in that regard, whereas a later scheme to gain Odin's soul could be seen as falling within his role of taking possession of the dead (if loosely--Pluto still overstepped his bounds with Odin in superseding the jurisdiction of Valhalla vis-à-vis Odin's soul). Nevertheless, Pluto's scheme involving a direct threat against Earth demands the intervention of Thor, whose involvement begins with the startling appearance of a mystic funnel in the heart of the city.

The funnel coincides with the disappearance of the city's atomic research center, which explains the military's arrival in force. We also learn that the lady Sif, Thor's beloved, had been an early responder to the scene and had inexplicably vanished inside the funnel soon afterward. Yet before Thor can attempt to join her, he finds himself another victim of the forces within.

Little does Thor suspect that he's been taken not only elsewhere--but elsewhen.

But what has all of this to do with the ruler of the underworld?

We'll Take Manhattan!

The action-packed Avengers #82 is mostly a fast-paced wrap-up issue, almost hurriedly tying up the loose ends of a number of prior stories. The paper trail breaks down like this:

• The Zodiac crime cartel escapes capture by the Avengers;
• Financier Cornelius Van Lunt makes a power play on Stark Industries as a ruse to hire the Avengers as his personal super-powered wrecking crew--while, unknown to everyone, his disgruntled aide, Wilkins, lays a deadly trap for the team in order to pin their murders on his despised employer (and fails);
• The Avengers become involved with the man known as Red Wolf as he pursues his own vendetta against Van Lunt, but are forced to split their resources to help him, as some choose to remain in New York to track Zodiac;
• The Black Panther and Daredevil team up against the gang known as the Thunderbolts in order to save one of the Panther's students and his brother; and finally,
• The Avengers group that joins Red Wolf heads west to confront Van Lunt at his ranch.

From this issue's cover, it looks like the Avengers still in New York have been keeping busy--but we're getting ahead of ourselves a bit. First, a quick recap of where things stand: (a) the Avengers team that joined Red Wolf is just about to arrive back in New York; (b) the Panther and Daredevil have concluded their case; and (c) it's as yet undisclosed regarding any progress the Avengers in Manhattan have made in their hunt for Zodiac.

But we can at least give you an idea of what Zodiac has been up to:

Good grief! The Zodiac member known as Aries launches a pre-dawn invasion of Manhattan with a well-equipped, disciplined army! All of that intelligence equipment at Avengers Mansion, and the help of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Captain America and his team can't get a lead on the activities of a super-powered crime cartel? It's never a good sign when your enemies invade your city right under your masked noses!

The Future Belongs to Tony Stark

As imposing and iconic a figure as the invincible Iron Man is, it's interesting to note that although the character's origin has been told and retold a number a times (even revised once or twice), in all this time we've only learned bits and pieces about the background of Tony Stark, the man who suits up as this hero. By the time we're introduced to Stark in Tales Of Suspense #39, his parents are dead, and he's become a reputed scientist and brilliant engineer in his own right who's the envy of his competitors, to say nothing of being one of the world's most eligible bachelors; and we mostly come to know him as an industrialist who inherited his father's holdings and business, going on to manufacture weapons and munitions for the government before shifting over to research, innovation, and development of projects that would benefit the whole of humanity.

When we finally do learn more of Stark's upbringing almost thirty years later in a 1992-93 tale, and the path he took to become a man who ultimately rejected his father's course toward self-destruction, it's an incomplete picture which takes the fast track toward presenting us with Tony Stark as he is today, a "featurette" that's shoe-horned into a current adventure taking place within the pages of Iron Man and nowhere near as comprehensive as the story where we learned more of Bruce Banner. Despite the tale being presented by Stark himself, as he sifts through his memories, we're still left with gaps as well as inconsistencies.

Perhaps it's all for the best that Stark hasn't delved too deeply into his memories of his childhood before now, since his father played such a supervisory role in it--and Howard Stark, by most accounts, was no role model. A wealthy, embittered man who was stern and harsh with his son, Stark was also a man of position who was mindful of image in the world of the privileged and thereby sought to mold his son within that world--and his choices for his son were bound to affect Tony's personal life, as well as his education.

Tony's time in boarding school would give him time away from his overbearing father and, as is the case with many children, allow him to make his own choices within that environment while dealing with his peers on his own terms. He also finds solace in education and, left to his own devices, excels in it; but it's also implied that his reading material would come to influence a rather crucial moment later in his life.

Throughout the run of Iron Man, we've come to learn a great deal about Stark's personality, his temperament, his strengths as well as his weaknesses, and certainly his drive--but most importantly, in the context of this story, the incredible legacy that is his life's work, extending past and occluding his father's by a wide margin. If that's due, at least in part, to a desire to make Stark Enterprises reflect his own worldview rather than any reflection of his father's, he does a fair job of presenting his status as that of a self-made man rather than a chip off the old block. The only connection to his family that he appears to acknowledge is through his mother, Maria, and even then simply through the foundation in her name.

Ironically, it's his parents' deaths that appear to serve as the catalyst for veering Stark off from his preoccupation with self-indulgence, the "playboy" image that clung to him well into his taking the reins of Stark Industries and his role in the formation of the Avengers. It's here that the story is somewhat confusing, since it's difficult to reconcile a man applying himself in school to such a degree yet lapsing into an existence of excess and pointless diversions, becoming more closely aligned to the father whose influence should have been kept at bay by the isolation and distance that boarding school offered. But the C.E.O. chair offers Stark the challenge of responsibility, and brings with it innovation that allows him to get on with his life, and his future.

From what we've seen of Stark's drive over the years in the pages of Iron Man, the character thrives on being in business in general and R&D in particular--made all the more rewarding by the ongoing success of his greatest invention, the Iron Man armor. Yet the following flashbacks of Stark present his priorities in a different light--as if Iron Man was the saving grace in his life, rather than his accomplishments and continued success overall, to say nothing of the heady feeling he must have acquired as he distinguished himself from his father. The chronology is these scenes has also been revised, since it now places the creation of Iron Man sometime after Stark ceased accepting weapons contracts from the government and shifted his company toward more scientific pursuits.

This condensed, digest version of Stark's growth is perhaps all we really need of the man, since, again, we've learned so much more of the person he became that it renders his past all but inessential. At times, Stark seems to feel that way himself, as little as he speaks of his father to others and as seldom as the subject is even brought up. Indeed, there seems little of Howard Stark that bears mentioning following the end of the war, an s.o.b. that began to spiral down and appeared to reject any new challenges in favor of the bottle--another pearl of wisdom that he sought to pass on to his son, if we're to believe a later scene from a 1995 issue.

Stark and his father are so much like night and day, it's a wonder Stark thinks of him at all.  In fact, it's tempting to admire Tony for emerging from his past with a greater purpose, if not for the taint of his obsessive actions that produced the events of "Civil War"--a blight on his legacy that, unlike his father, he'll hopefully have the time to atone for.

The Sorcerer, The Sorceress, And The Slayer!

We've previously taken a look at the first issue of the 1974 Dr. Strange reboot by writer Steve Englehart and artist Frank Brunner, where Strange, now Earth's "Sorcerer Supreme," had fallen prey to the blade of the religious fanatic known as Silver Dagger and subsequently became trapped within the Orb of Agamotto in a state of "unreality," neither dead nor alive. As Strange began his journey toward the center of the Orb in Part Two of this story, in order to free himself from this realm within the Orb and return to the land of the living, Dagger had already taken Strange's disciple and lover, Clea, in custody and had begun a slow and torturous process of forcing her to renounce her studies in magic and embrace Christianity.

Determined to rescue Clea, Strange in Part Three at last reaches the Orb's center and crosses the gateway into the void, where he again is faced with his own death, once more succumbing to the mortal wound inflicted by Dagger and dying from blood loss. He's then confronted and taunted by the manifestation of Death itself, which tries to convince Strange that his efforts to stem off his fate are futile and that there is no escape for him. Strange strives to stave off the inevitable--but eventually, he acknowledges the hopelessness of the situation, and feels he has no choice but to embrace the end. Yet that act of surrender leads to the appearance of the Ancient One, who informs Strange that he has successfully endured and passed a trial meant to expunge the fear of death within him.

And so, with Strange in the process of being reborn into a new life for himself and returning to the world he knew, we come to the conclusion of this four-part story. Silver Dagger remains at large, his brutal treatment of Clea on the verge of breaking her will. Can Dr. Strange truly come back from the dead? And will his new lease on life be enough to save the one he loves?

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To My Death...

No sooner was Dr. Strange's second series off to a great start in 1974, when the title character was slain! That doesn't leave a lot of options open for future Dr. Strange tales, does it? Except for the fact that the Master of the Mystic Arts, in trying to maintain his fading life by employing the Orb of Agamotto, left himself vulnerable to the Orb's realm of unreality, where one exists in a state between life and death. It's there that Strange now resides, his mortal wound healed and his health restored--as long as he remains within the Orb, neither dead nor truly alive.

Nevertheless, Strange has chosen to head for the center of the Orb, where the two states of unreality are in closest proximity to each other and where his best chance for an egress can be found--for Strange knows that Clea is still in danger from the religious zealot known as Silver Dagger, who has kidnapped her from Strange's sanctum and even now holds her prisoner and badgers her into rejecting the ways of magic and embracing a more fundamental spiritual way of life. It's a war of wills which Clea might be on her way to losing, considering that Dagger has already achieved a victory that will weaken her will to resist and deprive her of hope--the death of her lover, Dr. Strange.

As for Strange, his journey will prove to be anything but uneventful, as the realm within the Orb contains many unexpected dangers, as well as many surprises--the latter represented by the presence of those heroes which the issue's cover indicates have turned against their sorcerous ally.

Only one issue to its name, and already this new Dr. Strange series is flaunting guest stars to presumably drum up readership, which at first glance appears to be a worrisome sign of Marvel's confidence in the character's second shot at a series. It's reasonable to assume that Dr. Strange was only given the green light because the character was well received in the Marvel Premiere title and in his continuing appearances in The Defenders; a tie-in with the latter, at so early a stage, may simply be taking advantage of his momentum. Whether that's out of necessity or the result of good business sense is unclear--but it can't help but raise an eyebrow.

At any rate, Part Two of this story is in full swing--and Strange is resolved to press on, even knowing full well that certain death is waiting for him should he emerge from the Orb. But Clea is also in danger from the ravings of a madman, and he knows he must not fail her.

Dr. Strange In Wonderland

The character of Dr. Strange took what seemed to be an arduous path toward his second solo title, following the cancellation of his 1968-69 series--his final three issues shifting to bi-monthly publication before the plug was finally pulled, and right in the middle of an ongoing plot. Strange had just uncovered the existence of the Undying Ones, a storyline that would eventually be played out in the pages of three other titles. Needless to say, the mystic master became something of a floater during this period. He would first track the Undying Ones' devotee, the Nameless One, to its home dimension with the aid of the Sub-Mariner, and subsequently sacrificing himself to become trapped there in order to enable Namor's escape; two months later, the incredible Hulk came to Strange's aid, playing a part in freeing the magician and returning with him to Earth, where Strange would renounce his sorcerous life. It would be a year and a half before he would reclaim it, in the premiere issue of Marvel Feature featuring the debut of the Defenders.

Following the three-issue Marvel Feature appearance of the Defenders, Strange segued to a twelve-issue (albeit again bi-monthly) run in Marvel Premiere, just as The Defenders began as its own series around the same time. Finally, three months after his appearance in Marvel Premiere concluded, and still bolstered by his continuing monthly exposure in The Defenders, the second Dr. Strange series was launched, with writer Steve Englehart smoothly pivoting the character from the concluding events of Marvel Premiere that saw Strange ascend to the position of Sorcerer Supreme following the Ancient One's death.

Which brings us to the second shot of Dr. Strange as a series in its own right, a promising beginning in light of Englehart having written the final five issues of the character's story in Marvel Premiere (with a classic reprint being shuffled in) and being accompanied by the artist from those issues, the very talented Frank Brunner (if only briefly). As the disciple of the Ancient One, Strange was already arguably the world's preeminent sorcerer by reputation if not formally in name, his challenges being met as the "Master of the Mystic Arts," a title his new comic continued to use on its cover for the time being. Englehart's step in elevating him to the more formal status of "Sorcerer Supreme" is perhaps a risky one, since Strange's often-used phrase, "Curse me for a novice!", will be much more difficult to justify from a man who has been judged as ready to assume the powers and status of the Ancient One; yet already, Englehart has found ways to demonstrate that Strange is yet human, and can still be deceived and/or taken by surprise by a clever foe. As indeed this story exemplifies, to deadly and even fatal effect.

"When Captain America Activates His Mighty Shield..."

As a companion to an earlier post that featured some of Marvel's characters getting makeovers or upgrades in their abilities or accessories, following are a few more examples where our heroes either felt a little something extra was needed in their crime-fighting arsenal or were forced to improvise due to unforeseen circumstances.

As far as improvisation goes, you can't have a much better example than Reed Richards, who probably scavenged his entire spare parts vault in order to come up with believable substitutes for the Fantastic Four's abilities when radiation from a bomb explosion caused them to lose their powers. Reed is no Tony Stark, of course, but he does pretty well in a pinch--though his efforts appear futile.

Reed does considerably better in the Thing's case when Ben Grimm reverted to his human form following a battle with the Hulk and needed a way to remain part of the group. The answer: a custom-made exoskeleton that gives Ben nearly the power of the Thing but also allows him to slip into something more comfortable when he wishes--i.e., his humanity.

Otherwise, given their formidable powers, the FF are pretty self-sufficient when it comes to tackling their foes, needing only their resolve and their resourcefulness to see a crisis through. But thanks to Dr. Doom, who isn't exactly lacking in resourcefulness himself, Reed came to the conclusion that he and his teammates needed something more than their powers to defeat their foe. And so there came a day when the Fantastic Four charged into battle--I am not making this up--donning flak jackets and packing heat.

(Somewhere, the man called Cable is feeling validated.)

Over in the Avengers, the Black Knight--who has no super-power to speak of but became an Avenger by pulling their fat out of the fire against Kang--is no longer in possession of his winged steed, Aragorn, and so tinkers a bit with technology acquired from a previous mission to produce, voilà, Aragorn 2.0.

Later, there's also the matter of finding a substitute for his cursed ebony sword, and in so doing the man demonstrates that he's a total Star Wars geek.

As for Captain America, he too must resort to technology when his shield is lost at the bottom of the ocean and his substitute shield has proven to be nowhere near as resilient. Thanks to Sharon Carter, a piece of hardware from the past is dusted off and given a new, familiar look that will fulfill Cap's need for a weapon that can handle both his offense and defense needs.

The mighty Thor has also been known to employ ways to both protect himself and to enhance his own power when necessary. An example of the former would be the suit of specially forged armor he created as a means to offset a curse placed upon him by the death-goddess, Hela (you can see it in action during his rematch with the Celestials). But there's also his belt of strength, first seen in a 1963 story and arriving by special delivery from Asgard.

The belt appears again fifteen years later (our time), when Loki once again has an edge over Thor, and it's Thor this time who summons the belt to compensate.

Like other heroes who have given themselves an upgrade, the Son of Satan would practically reinvent himself when he debuts his new look in order to accompany the Avengers on a mission, trading in his "psycho-sensitive trident" for--what is that thing he's carrying now, his training trident from when he was a child?--and providing us also with a new identity, as the man known as Hellstorm.

Finally, Spider-Man receives an upgrade, courtesy of Tony Stark, that for all intents and purposes provides us with a mobile-friendly version of the web-spinner that these days would be just begging to be hacked into.

("Okay, Mike, we're in!  Now, make him crawl up that water tower backwards!")