Dynamo #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeDynamo #1 (August 1966) is the first solo title spun off from Tower Comics' flagship T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents series, marking Tower's direct acknowledgment that Leonard Brown's super-strong agent had become the breakout star of their line. The issue introduced Andor — a super-powered human raised by the underground Subterraneans — a morally complex villain-turned-rogue figure who returned in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #9, demonstrating that Tower was building serialized, consequence-bearing storytelling at a time when most Silver Age comics reset every issue. As a creative artifact, the book assembled three of the most distinctive visual voices of the era — Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, and Reed Crandall — in a single 68-page squarebound package, making it one of the densest showcases of Silver Age draftsmanship published outside of the major houses.
In "Menace from the Moon!", Len Brown’s mundane day takes a wild turn when he’s whisked from his office to Hong Kong and then deep beneath the Earth, caught in a global threat orchestrated by the Overlord’s plan for nuclear chaos. With the help of the mysterious Iron Maiden, Len must navigate treacherous landscapes and deadly traps, all while his chance to ask the Chief for a raise slips away. Written by Wally Wood and Tim Battersby, with dynamic art by Mike Sekowsky and inks by Frank Giacoia and Joe Giella, this 1966 adventure from Tower Comics features a cover by Wally Wood that captures the story’s high-stakes drama.
In "Menace from the Moon!" from Dynamo #1 (1966), Earth’s observatories are vanishing without a trace, prompting the President to send Noman and Dynamo on a high-stakes mission to a lunar military base. There, Noman uncovers a hidden civilization on the moon’s dark side, one that has long kept its existence secret from humanity.
In "A Day in the Life of Dynamo," Len Brown’s routine office day spirals into a globe-hopping odyssey when a routine request for a raise is interrupted by a series of unexpected adventures—first in Hong Kong, then deep beneath the Earth, where he must thwart the Overlord’s plan to unleash nuclear devastation. Along the way, he’s aided by the enigmatic Iron Maiden, a mysterious ally who may be more than she seems. By the time he returns, the moment to speak with the Chief has slipped away.
In "Back to the Stone Age!" from Dynamo #1 (1966), Jo finds herself trapped in a cell with the enigmatic Dr. Sparta, sparking an uneasy alliance that quickly spirals when Sparta’s loyal minion Wilbur springs them both. With Demo’s prehistoric warriors and Sparta’s dinosaur allies unleashed, Dynamo must scramble to contain the chaos as ancient forces collide in a battle for control.
In "Dynamo Meets the Amazing Andor," a hidden underground scientist known as Lord Uru reveals his plan to dominate the surface world through a child he raised in isolation—Andor, a young man with superhuman strength and a mind shaped by manipulation. When Andor infiltrates the ranks of the surface hero Dynamo, his suppressed memories begin to surface, leading to a violent clash that tests the limits of control and free will.
In "Wonder Weed, Super Hero," ordinary THUNDER agent Weed, overlooked and unpowered, finds himself manipulated by the telepathic villain Doctor Oom, who plants the idea that he’s truly a hero. As the super-powered members of THUNDER fall into a trap, Weed must rely on his wits and courage to prove that even without powers, he can make a difference.
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T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents was itself born from a concept scripter Len Brown had pitched to Wally Wood, shaped by the early-1960s spy-fi craze surrounding The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the James Bond films; Wood developed it into Tower's signature superhero line beginning in November 1965. Tower Comics, part of Harry Shorten's Tower Publications paperback empire, positioned itself unusually in the marketplace by publishing 25-cent, 64-to-68-page squarebound comics at more than twice the standard cover price — a format that gave each issue the feel of a curated anthology. Within roughly nine months of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1, Dynamo's popularity warranted his own title, launched in August 1966 with Wood providing the cover and interior art on the lead story; detailed production credits documented in Alter Ego #152 (May 2018) through Tim Battersby's work records clarify that several scripts credited solely to Wood were collaborative efforts with Battersby, revised and plotted by Wood.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First solo title starring Dynamo (Leonard Brown), spinning out of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents after fewer than ten issues of the parent series — published August 1966 by Tower Comics.
- Contains the first appearance of Andor, a human orphan raised and mentally conditioned by the subterranean Overlord's scientist Lord Uru, who rebels and kills his creator — penciled by Steve Ditko, inked by Wally Wood.
- Cover and lead story ('Menace from the Moon,' 14 pages) are both fully penciled and inked by Wally Wood, with lettering by Ben Oda.
- The issue is a 68-page, full-color squarebound Giant — Tower's standard format, priced at 25 cents versus the 12-cent standard of the era — and contains five complete stories.
- Interior art credits span three legends: Wally Wood (cover and lead story), Steve Ditko ('Dynamo Meets the Amazing Andor'), and Reed Crandall ('Back to the Stone Age,' inked by Wood); Mike Sekowsky penciled 'A Day in the Life of Dynamo' with inks by Frank Giacoia.
- Includes the debut of the recurring backup feature 'Wonder Weed, Super Hero,' spotlighting Weed — an unpowered T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad agent widely regarded as Wood's self-deprecating alter ego — art by John Giunta.
- The issue has been reprinted multiple times: in DC's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Archives Vol. 2 (July 2003) and IDW's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Classics Vol. 2 (December 2013), as well as in IDW's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents: The Best of Wally Wood (May 2014); selected stories also appeared in black-and-white in the British Astounding Stories (Alan Class) as early as 1968.
- The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents franchise earned Alley Awards in 1966 for Best Giant Comic and Best New Strip or Book, the same award cycle in which Dynamo #1 appeared on newsstands.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Astounding Stories #32 (1968), Astounding Stories #33 (1968), Escaravelho Azul #12 (1969), Escaravelho Azul #19 (1970), Eclipso #9 (1970), Eclipso #12 (1971), Astounding Stories #116 (1975), Astounding Stories #145 (1980), Astounding Stories #148 (1980), Astounding Stories #189 (1988), Astounding Stories #195 (1988), T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Archives #2 (2003), T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Classics #2 (2013), T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents: The Best of Wally Wood #[nn] (2014), Illustrators Special Issue #14 - First Edition (2022), Escaravelho Azul #15, Secrets of the Unknown #74
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