My Birthday Books - 3

I aim to make my 'Birthday Books' blog a weekly event as I have been picking them up pretty steadily for the past few weeks. I will showcase 3 books per week on Friday here until I have run out, maybe go down to 1 book a week once they stop coming in so fast. 

So just to remind you or enlighten new readers, my 'birthday books' are comics with cover dates of September 1969 as these were born into the world the same time that I was!

I am also considering moving through the years too, so my 1st year 'birthday books' from 1970, 2nd 'birthday books' from 1971 etc, up to 1979 my 10th birthday. I think that's a cool long-term project goal 😍

Marvel Tales #22

Grade - FN-
Cover - Steve Ditko

This anthology has 3 classic Marvel tales in it - 

Bring Back my Goblin to Me!
Reprinted from Amazing Spider-Man #27
Story - Stan Lee

Art - Steve Ditko

In this story Spidey (Peter Parker) is captured by Green Goblin and presented unconscious in chains to the Crime Master and his mob. He comes to and manages to battle his way free. Goblin escapes so he tries to chase down the Crime Master. An ex-gangster, Frederick Foswell is now working as a reporter for the Daily Bugle and Peter suspects him to be alter-ego of one of these two villains. I have definitely read this story before and I know I don't own Amazing Spider-Man #27 (if only!), so my guess is I've read it reprinted elsewhere, perhaps in a annual.

When Magneto Strikes!

Reprinted from Journey Into Mystery #109
Story - Stan Lee

Art - Jack Kirby/Chic Stone

Hiding in a sub-marine, Magneto sends his Brotherhood of Evil out to find the hidden base of the X-Men. His magnetic powers are noticed by Thor in his secret identity of Dr Donald Blake so he goes out to investigate. Whilst battling the megalomaniac Magneto he forgets himself and loses contact with his hammer Mjolnir for longer than a minute and reverts back to the lame Doctor! He struggles to get back to his hammer, (now transformed into Blake's humble walking cane), as Magneto's magnetism threatens him at every turn. Off panel he is aided by the arrival of the X-Men, who are not seen in person but are integral as they chase Magneto away and disable a thermo-nuclear proton bomb! The last panel has Donald cosying up with a simpering Jane Foster, the woman who eventually takes over the mantle of Thor!

The Torch Meets Iceman!

Reprinted from Strange Tales #120
Story - Stan Lee

Art - Jack Kirby/Dick Ayers

A reprint of the 1st meet-up of the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men's Iceman. Human Torch, Johnny Storm is with his date Doris on board a cruise boat. Bobby Drake, Iceman is on the cruise too hoping to meet some "swingin' teens". The duo are forced into action when Barracuda and his team of modern day pirates target the boat to plunder. It's a cool, (or perhaps a hot), story, we see how their powers counter-act and perhaps compliment each other.

The Unexpected #114

Grade - Fine
Cover - Neal Adams

This book was Tales of the Unexpected up to #104 focusing more on science-fiction/fantasy, with the name change it became a horror/weird mystery book. Over it's run other folded titles were merged into it such as House of Secrets, Witching Hour, Doorway to Nightmare, and Time Warp. Recurring characters (including hosts in framing sequences) include Johnny Peril, the Mad Mod Witch, Judge Gallows, Abel, the Three Witches, and Madame Xanadu.

There's 2 short stories in this one - 

My Self -- My Enemy
Story - George Kashdan

Art - Ed Robbins/Vince Colletta
In this book we have a character named Johnny Peril who I had never heard of before. Also known as Mr Nobody he is a detective of the occult and an "adventurer of the weird." He debuted in Comic Cavalcade #19 in 1947 and had back up stories in All-Star Comics, Sensation Comics, and Sensation Mystery. He was relaunched in the Silver Age with #106 of this book and appeared as a member of A.R.G.U.S. in the modern day in Justice League Dark. 
This tale pits Peril against a golem of sorts that is stealing his lifeforce away from him.

Tales of the Mad Mod Witch: The Well of Second Chances

Story - Dave Wood

Art - Art Saaf

The Mad Mod Witch is a kooky character, she is a witch who is abreast of the current fashion it seems! 1st appearing in Unexpected #108, as a storyteller she was later added to The Dreaming of the Sandman comics where she is called the Fashion Thing, a personification of style & design! In the past, she has been a flapper, a mod, a punk, and even described as a "Mad Madonna Witch". In 1988, she began referring to herself as the Mad Yuppie Witch.
This story tells of a wishing well that allows you to go back in time. Von Krupt, a Nazi on the run after the war comes across the well, 3 others use it and see visions of their lives if they made changes to it and they all turn out to be disastrous. In desperation with the war crimes commission snapping at his heels he tosses a coin in and nothing happens, he over balances and falls in and drowns. The Mad Mod Witch explains of his coin that "it was a queer-- a counterfeit!" and that's why it never worked.

Challengers of the Unknown #69

Story - Dennis O'Neil

Art - Jack Sparling

Cover - Joe Kubert

Grade - VG (4.0)

The Challengers of the Unknown are Olympic wrestling champion Lester "Rocky" Davis, master skin diver Walter "Prof" Haley, circus daredevil Matthew "Red" Ryan and War hero and jet pilot Kyle "Ace" Morgan. After surviving a plane crash together they conclude that they are living on borrowed time and should form a team to challenge the unknown!! The team were created by Jack Kirby and Dave Wood and debuted in Showcase #6 in 1957.

The Secret of Skull Mountain
Is this a crossover with Skeletor a decade before he was created?! No of course not! 😋 
An ongoing plot thread here is that Prof is secretly possessed and tries to hurt his colleagues surreptitiously throughout this story. Investigating the disappearance of a scientist the Challenger quartet are met with a hulking brute in the forest. They find a castle where the ruthless Algernon Stark is experimenting with finding immortality. When they discover his secret he threatens to kill them all and Prof suicidal and looking to atone for his actions draws Stark's fire so they can take him out. Mortally wounded they put Prof in a cryogenic pod to sustain his life and Corinna, Stark's daughter vows to takes Prof's place.

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So that's my 3 'birthday books' this week, what did you think of these beauties?

Come back next week for 3 more of my books

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