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cf dtch; rusty staple
Jack Kirby cover/art; 3rd app of Dr. Doom; Stan Lee & Jack Kirby appear in story; Invisible Girl pin-up
By the time of this issue's appearance, Stan Lee's plan to remake the struggling Marvel into an industry powerhouse was gaining steam and support. Part of the reason for this success was his willingness to treat the Marvel bullpen as stars in their own right, culminating in this clever and beloved issue in which Lee and Kirby guest star in their own popular comic. It was both a winking in-joke meant to appeal to regular readers, and an unmistakable gauntlet thrown down to competitors that Marvel had arrived.


Artists Information

Jack Kirby is called 'The King of Comics' for a reason, during his career that spanned six decades he gave us many of the most iconic characters the medium would ever see. From his introduction of Captain America at the height of World War II it was clear he wasn't your ordinary comics artist. But it was his creative explosion at Marvel Comics in the 1960's that cemented his legacy, over a short period of time Kirby would give us The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, The Hulk, The X-Men, Thor, Ant-Man and Nick Fury just to name a few. Kirby would then go to DC and create his Fourth World, introducing Darkseid, Mister Miracle, The New Gods and a host of cosmic supporting players. Long live The King.

Richard "Dick" Ayers was an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of the main inkers during the late-1950's and 1960's Silver Age of Comics, including some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' including Jack Kirby's The Fantastic Four. He is the signature penciler of Marvel's World War II comic Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, drawing it for a 10-year run, and he co-created Magazine Enterprises' 1950s Western-horror character the Ghost Rider, a version of which he would draw for Marvel in the 1960s. His career would span 7 decades until his death in 2014.