I’m just a summertime guy.
Well, no, I’m not really. I hate the heat. I much prefer the crisp temperatures of the autumn. But I am a summertime guy when it comes to my annual Silver-Age challenge. I also started with that line because I was going to throw in a bonus just-for-fun trivia question, asking what television show that started in the Silver Age used “Summertime Guy” as its theme song? However, I discovered that it was too easy to Google the answer, so I’ll turn it into a fun fact: the answer is The Newlywed Game.
I posted my first Silver-Age Challenge here one summer fourteen years ago, mainly because I was stuck for an Log Entry topic, and a quiz was a handy way of knocking out two---the questions, then the answers. It turned out to be so popular that I’ve done one every year since, even during the last couple, when my Deck Log was otherwise suspended because of my work. I enjoy putting the challenges together, and as long as you folks enjoy taking them, I’ll keep doing it.
First, some boilerplate for anyone who’s never tackled one of my quizzes before. (You old vets can skip the next five paragraphs.)
All of the questions and answers are drawn from Silver-Age material. In the case of this quiz, that means anything produced by Marvel Comics from July, 1956 (the month Showcase # 4 hit the stands) until the end of 1968, which I demark as the end of the Silver Age. If your answer comes from outside that period, then it is invalid. For example, if I were to ask “Who taught Hawkeye archery?”, and you answered with “Trick Shot”, you would be wrong. During the Silver Age, it was established that the Swordsman trained Hawkeye in the bow and arrow. Trick Shot was a 1987 revision.
Fair warning: forgetting the Silver-Age limitation has been the biggest reason that folks have gotten a question wrong.
I’m definitely not infallible, also something to which the veteran players here will attest. I easily might have missed something, somewhere, in those twelve years of Marvel publication. If you come up with an answer that meets the criteria of the question and can cite the Silver-Age reference, then I’ll gladly award you credit for a correct response. “But I always thought . . .” explanations won’t cut it, though.
I’ve got no problem with anybody using a search engine to look for answers. That’s why I try to make my questions as Google-proof as possible. The right answers to my quiz-questions are difficult to find with a search engine, though I cannot say impossible. At least once, I tripped myself up when an article that I had written for another site contained the answer to a question from that year’s challenge, and one of the players found it.
Lastly, there are no prizes, not even No-Prizes. You're playing for bragging rights.
(This is where you veteran players can come back.)
O.K., gang . . . everybody ready? Then, here we go! As always, I'll start with a lob.
1. After being held captive by Doctor Octopus, the worst part of the experience for May Parker was missing that night’s episode of what television series?
2. Who was the parish priest in the neighbourhood of Hell’s Kitchen where Nick Fury grew up?
3. After being suspended from professional baseball, this star pitcher used his throwing skill to become what costumed villain?
4. Who is the only living relative of Rick Jones to appear in a story?
5. In the story of her only solo adventure, the Wasp defeated what super-villain?
6. What must Odin, king of the Norse gods, do for one day each year to maintain his immortality?
7. The Mandarin saved this woman’s life when she was a child and oversaw her education. She grew up to become what villainess?
8. Who was the first scientist hired to replace Dr. Bruce Banner as the chief scientist on Lieutenant General “Thunderbolt” Ross’ staff? (NOTE: it didn’t work out.)
9. What super-hero story was the first to show Stan Lee’s face; in other words, not in shadows or the back of his head to the readers or otherwise obstructed? (NOTE: “super-hero story” means a standard adventure; humorous or informative stories don’t count. Also, for clarity, extras, such as someone in a crowd scene, drawn to resemble Stan Lee, don't count, either. The correct answer refers to a character identified as Stan Lee.)
10. Apparently, the Ancient One had set himself up well financially. Who managed the Ancient One’s wealth?
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As always, I’ll post the answers next month, but you guys probably won’t need nearly that long. Good luck!
Replies
Sheesh! I was looking at flashback stories and those involving Jake Fury! And I flipped through that story too! Can't belive I missed it!
Clearly me looking through the flashbacks wouldn't have gotten the answer.
Yeah, that was it. Looks as though you looked it up the same place that I did.
I half-remembered the answer to 1. because an issue of Marvel Age did an article about how the reprint of the story changed the reference, as if The Beverly Hillbillies was off the air.
I don't recall that, specifically, but i do remember a letter to Marvel Tales explaining the editor's "error." The reasoning went like this: Beverly Hillbillies was a contemporary show when Spider-Man Annual #1 was published, and Dukes of Hazzard was a contemporary show when Marvel Tales (reprinting Spider-Man Annual #1) was published. BUT... the early issues of Spider-Man being reprinted in Marvel Tales at the time took place "five years ago" (or whatever), and the letter-writer offered up a popular show from that time frame the editor "should" have used. I don't recall which show he suggested, the the editor should have left it alone. Besides, as Kelvin pointed out, The Beverly Hillbillies was still being shown in reruns in the '80s, as indeed it is now.
I didn't really care for this editor's style. This post reminds me that he purposefully decided to reprint Spider-Man Annual #1 out of order to take advantage of the false "milestone" of the 150th issue. Would you like abother example? A year or so down the road, during the Romita years when Peter Parker bought a motorbike, it was originally colored a drab rust. The Marvel Tales editor decided to color it a jaunty red instead, a decision which bit him on the arse a few issues later when it came time to reprint the issue in which Stan Lee decided to have Peter repaint the motorbike (you guessed it)... red.
I thought that I found #9 (Stan Lee) with Amazing Adult Fantasy #12 (1962) but he was in shadow. The earliest non-Golden Age depiction of Stan's face was Daredevil #79 (1971) and it can't be that!
The funny thing is that I seem to remember a Gene Colan DD talking to a beardless Stan! My next quest I guess!
He does, in a humorous story in DD Annual #1. I assumed given the humor it didn't qualify. I wrote about it here: https://atomicjunkshop.com/daredevil-vs-the-live-volcano-baron-zemo...
9. What super-hero story was the first to show Stan Lee’s face; in other words, not in shadows or the back of his head to the readers or otherwise obstructed? (NOTE: “super-hero story” means a standard adventure; humorous or informative back-up pieces about the Marvel Bullpen don’t count...)
All of the questions and answers are drawn from Silver-Age material... from July, 1956... until the end of 1968...
This question is driving me NUTS! I can think of many Silver age Stan Lee appearances, but they all bump up against the "not obstructed" rule or the "not humorous" rule.
And I am using the internet.
The first one I found was "The Nightmare" from Astonishing #4, which does show Stan's face, but it's not a "super-hero story" and it's cover-dated June 1951, too early.
Next I found "Something Fantastig?" from Amazing Adult Fantasy #12 (May 1962), but it's not superhero and his face is obscured.
I was surprised to learn that Stan Lee was the "host" of "The Day of the Red Death" from Chamber of Darkness #2, but it's not super-hero plus it's from 1969, too late.
Stan Lee appeared in Chili #3 but I didn't even bother looking it up because it's not super-hero and it's 1969, too late.
AH! I've GOT it! Daredevil #29 (June 1967), page 7 panel 1. It is super-hero and his face is unobscured.
That was a toughie!
EDIT: Sorry Philip. We were both searching for the same thing at the same time going down the same paths, but I beat you to it.
Yeah, I finally found it too! Glad to see that I didn't just dream it!
Funny thing is that it wasn't mentioned on two lists of Stan's cameos!
Of course, if I want to be nitpicky, he doesn't say he's Stan Lee. He could be any guy named Stan. And without calling him "Stan", I would never have guessed who he was!
10. Apparently, the Ancient One had set himself up well financially. Who managed the Ancient One’s wealth?
The Ancient One's wealth was managed by Sen-Yu (see "The Defeat of Dr. Strange" - Strange Tales #130).
I had to look that one up, but I knew where to find it. (I knew where to find the answer to #7, too, but Dave beat me to it.)
Assuming at least one answer to each of the questions above is correct, I don't think we'll be needing the whole month. ;)
Dangit, Jeff! I just found Sen-Yu of Hong Kong right now! And it's in the same issue where The Human Torch and the Thing "Meet the Beatles"!
Spent an hour going through Essential Doctor Strange Volume 1!
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