Reading Room TALES OF THE WATCHER "Why Won't They Believe Me?"

Yesterday, we presented the first version of this tale...

...now let's look at the expanded and enhanced rendition!

Scripted by Stan (the Man) Lee, penciled by Gene (the Dean) Colan, and inked by Paul (no nickname) Reinman, this double-length version of the story from the back of Marvel's Silver Surfer V1 N3 (1969) has a lot more humor and a bigger build-up to the switch-ending than the original.
BTW, almost all the "Tales of the Watcher" that appeared during the Silver Surfer book's 48-page incarnation (which lasted for the first seven issues before becoming a "regular" 32-page magazine) were expanded re-dos of shorter Atlas-era stories!
The exception was the first tale which was a re-do of the origin of the Watcher's race from the original run of Tales of the Watcher when it backed-up Iron Man in Tales of Suspense until a brand-new Captain America strip took over the second slot.

Coming Monday: SILVER SURFER by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby

Unseen by the public since 1980...

...this final Lee/Kirby co-production is considered Marvel's first original graphic novel.

It starts as a retelling of the "Coming of Galactus" storyline from Fantastic Four #48-50, but set in a reality without any of the myriad characters that inhabit Earth and the solar system of the Marvel Universe.

No Fantastic Four.

No Watcher.

No Alicia Masters.

However, there is Norrin Radd, who becomes the Silver Surfer, as well as Shalla Bal, his true love, and their home world, Zenn-La.

After stranding the Surfer on Earth, the story goes off on a totally-new tangent and introduces new characters, the golden Ardina (whom Galactus uses to emotionally-manipulate the Surfer), and Master of Guile, a manifestation of Galactus' "Dark Side" who advises the planet-eating alien!

It's a unique take on the character, and, as we said, the last joint project by the two guys who co-created most of the Marvel Universe!

As to why, unlike most of Marvel's Silver and Bronze Age output, it's never been reprinted...

According to Bill Bagnall at T'aint the Meat... It's the Humanity, the basis of the graphic novel was a never-used story for a Silver Surfer movie rock musical that would've featured Olivia Newton John as Ardina!
In addition, the copyright to the graphic novel is not Marvel's, but jointly-held by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby!
Between those two factors, there's probably enough legal red tape to keep the book from ever seeing print again.
As of January, 2016, it's only available as a HTF hardcover or paperback.
But, in the interest of historical research, we're going to re-present it in serial format on this blog starting Monday.
Don't miss it.

Excelsior! Happy 91st Birthday to Stan Lee!

Co-Creator of the Marvel Comics universe...although "Catalyst" might be a better term to describe him.

Together with an astounding group of artists (some, like Jack Kirby, already legends in the field), he produced a memorable lineup of characters and stories which, to this day, form the backbone both of the comics line and various film and tv spinoffs.
Even the characters Lee didn't co-create (like Captain America and the Silver Surfer) were guided and shaped by Lee in his role as Editor into the versions we know and love today.

And credit where credit is due...Lee couldn't have done it without Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, Gene Colan, and the rest; while they, who had all done superb work without him, did their best work with him!
(C'mon, what post-Stan Lee Marvel characters have had any real success, outside of the 1975 revival of the X-Men, itself based on core characters created by Lee and Kirby?)

So, EXCELSIOR! to you, Stan the Man!