Symbolic Splash Pages: The Early Years

As an encore to our series on symbolic splash pages, the PPC wraps up this nostalgic look at the opening pages to a number of classic issues from the early 1960s to the mid-1970s by rounding up some of the earliest stories of Iron Man, Captain America, Dr. Strange, and the Hulk, at the time when they were building their reading audiences within the pages of Tales Of Suspense, Strange Tales, and Tales To Astonish--appearances which only numbered around twelve pages per issue, but served as stepping stones to hopefully something more. All of these characters went on to star in their own solo series--the Hulk having already been given his shot in 1962 only to disappear after just six issues, while Captain America was attempting to segue into the budding world of Marvel super-heroes after having helmed a successful series of his own during the 1940s.

Here you'll find on display the talents of Steve Ditko, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby, along with early appearances of the Black Widow, the Melter, the Red Skull...

...and, in November of 1964, Captain America, a hero Jack Kirby unleashes accordingly.

By now, of course, Cap was already established in The Avengers--yet here he joins Iron Man in sharing the Tales Of Suspense title, where he's given the opportunity to take the spotlight on his own merits without his fellow Avengers in the mix. As we can see, Kirby and writer Stan Lee would initially focus on Cap's wartime experiences.

As for Iron Man, artist Don Heck seems to excel in crafting these symbolic pages, overshadowing even Kirby's offerings from early 1963.

(The PPC has previously featured profiles of the Melter, the Mad Pharaoh, Kala, Queen of the Netherworld, and the "first" Doctor Strange, while highlighting the role of Mister Doll in forcing Iron Man to ditch his golden armor in favor of a suit better suited to combat. Out of sheer curiosity, I'm almost certain I'll succumb to cracking open that Gargantus story one of these days.)

Ditko's work in Strange Tales lends an air of both mystery and danger to the "Master of Black Magic," Dr. Strange. His opening page from "The House of Shadows!", so simple in its presentation yet so effectively able to build anticipation for the story within, still impresses me to this day. In some of Ditko's offerings here, you can come away wondering if Strange's principal enemy is Baron Mordo or the dread Dormammu--so it certainly seemed fitting that, for a number of stories, the two would join forces at some point.

The Hulk is the one character who you'd think could have benefited from the promotional aspect of symbolic splash pages, though in his Tales To Astonish appearances they were practically nonexistent. Even Ditko seemed at a loss as to how to present him, given what he had to work with.

Pages from Tales To Astonish #60, and Incredible Hulk #6

We'd have to return to the Hulk's 1962-63 series to find a few more of these pages, this time by Kirby--who also renders what may have been the character's first pin-up page, appearing in Tales To Astonish #62.