Monster Menace #1 "The Terror of Tim Boo Ba" (Classic Steve Ditko)

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"Many are the wonders of the vast universe. But none so fantastic as... TIM BOO BA!" I hadn't been born when that menacing statement was first published in Amazing Adult Fantasy #9, but thankfully Marvel reprinted this classic in Monster Menace #1. Inside these pages, Stan "the man" asks why why we're fascinated by monsters:

“	Why? Why do people love monsters? Why is it that the bigger they are, or the scarier and the more macabre they are, the more we love them? And that's just not today--our fascination with monsters goes back to the beginning of the legend--from the Cyclops of Greek mythology to St. George's dragon, and all the way to King Kong, Godzilla and Frankenstein, not to mention a whole plethora of titanic titans, past and present. It seems to start when we're very young. Remember the excitement when you heard your first fairy tale about Jack the Giant Killer? I'll bet it wasn't Jack that turned you on--it was the monstrous giant! In fact, will you ever forget the fascination that those early tales held on you? They were tales of ogres, witches, demons, goblins, werewolves, trolls, vampires and assorted monsters of every size--and political persuasion (I just threw that in there to make this sound contemporary!). Some of you may recall the monster mags of the fiendish fifties, featuring nightmarish creations bearing such names as Groom, Mongorr, Korakk and of course, the never-to-be-forgotten Fin Fang Foom! I'm about to run out of space and I realize we still haven't answered the burning question, "why do monsters turn people on?", but whatever the reason, you dig'em--so enjoy! Excelsior! Stan Lee, the pater familias of Marvel Comics	”

Marvel Treasury Edition #1: "Spider-Man Tackles The Torch!"

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I was only ten years old, but I can still recall precisely where I was when I first eyed this baby. I had just stepped into The Bottle Shop, which was located on Main St. in the small bedroom community I grew up in (and the only alternative to Rexall's Drug Store's comic book spinner rack), when I spied this beauty on the magazine rack. Of course, I had to buy it and I've have had it in my collection ever since. It's almost difficult to believe that I used to think that $1.50 was a steep price to pay for a comic book!

Not a mutant, Spider-Man has been Marvel's most successful and popular character. After auditioning in Amazing Fantasy #15, he moved into his own title, The Amazing Spider-Man, early in 1963. He was the creation of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, with possible input from Jack Kirby.

The original story introduced mild-mannered high school student Peter Parker, who lived with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Clean-cut, hardworking, and bespectacled, Peter was a brilliant science student but was shunned by his fellows and labeled a "bookworm." After being bitten by a radioactive spider at a science exhibit, he gained "spider powers" that included superhuman strength and agility and the ability to cling to any surface and spin webs.

Among the artists who've drawn the old web-spinner have been John Buscema, Gil Kane, John Byrne, Todd McFarlane, and a host of others.


Credits

Cover: John Romita
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Steve Ditko

Reprinted:

• from Amazing Spider-Man, The (Marvel, 1963 series) #8 (January 1964)

Tomb of Darkness #19: "It's Only Magic!"

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I can still recall picking this comic book up off the racks in Rexal's Drug Store, just to reminisce out loud for a moment. Tomb of Darkness #19 contains this excellent short story written by Stan "The Man" Lee and beautifully illustrated by John Buscema, which is about a boy who's seeking wealth and power via supernatural means. In his haste for shortcuts to fame and fortune, the boy sneaks into an occult bookstore and pockets a book on ancient Druid spells in order to conjure a djinn to do his bidding. Of course, events don't go as the boy had planned and I thought the ending was pretty damn clever, which is why I heartily recommend this one. It's only too bad that I can't make the same recommendation for the rest of the stories contained inside this comic book, but this particular story is a great read.


Credits

Cover: Ron Wilson
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: John Verpoorten

Reprinted:

• from Chamber of Darkness (Marvel, 1969 series) #1 (October 1969).