tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post7435828617158268171..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: Doug's Favorites: Avengers #28Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-52735449159421097732012-07-02T20:55:42.757-05:002012-07-02T20:55:42.757-05:00This was certainly a fun issue -- not only the ret...This was certainly a fun issue -- not only the return of Hank & Jan, but the revelation of their previously secret identities to the rest of the team! And it appears Cap didn't recognize either when they were out of costume, although I couldn't help thinking wouldn't Cap have recognized the voice (after all, Giant-Man wasn't always giant-sized when he & Cap were teammates in the past). Just another of those peculiarities of old comics.<br />This issue also marks the end of the Kookie Quartet era as Goliath and the Wasp rejoin the team and along with Hawkeye become the new lasting core of the team (even while Hank became Yellowjacket and Hawkeye took up the Goliath role) until Hank & Jan left with issue 74.Fred W. Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07602124919964053532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-34363098531784123412012-07-01T03:35:42.149-05:002012-07-01T03:35:42.149-05:00This costume for Goliath might well be my favorite...This costume for Goliath might well be my favorite all-time superhero look ever. The blue and yellow are uncommon enough to stand out and the whole look of the costume is sleek and modern. The goggles are outstanding. <br /><br />Rip OffRip Jaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09936426877024852134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-7008134328093669012012-06-30T23:52:43.127-05:002012-06-30T23:52:43.127-05:00I've always thought of that strange eye-style ...I've always thought of that strange eye-style as "Cosmic Eyes", y'know? My buddy & I wondered about them for years, too. Silver Surfer has them, Mephisto has them, the Stranger usually has them-- what the heck is the idea behind their convention? They're clearly a rather cool shorthand for showing a powerful character to be much, much more than merely human. Where does the iris go? How do they see? What would those bold black outlines actually look like on a real person??<br /><br />HBhumanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-5020376454652459902012-06-30T12:47:19.472-05:002012-06-30T12:47:19.472-05:00I, too, like the lighter blue on Cap’s uniform, an...I, too, like the lighter blue on Cap’s uniform, and I also thought they were feathers for a very long time. Hey, he’s got wings on his head, so why not feathers?<br /><br />I love the way Hawkeye gave Cap such a hard time, but then Cap earned his respect over time, to the point where Hawkeye was just about Cap’s biggest booster. That goes to show Cap’s leadership skills.<br /><br />I’d always just thought the Collector’s deep set eyes were his real face. I’ve always liked the Collector, though my first experience with him is actually from the Korvac Saga. <br /><br />I, too, love the blue & yellow color scheme. Actually, I think this costume might be what I most associate with Hank Pym, between an early Giant Size Avengers I had bought (one of my very first back issue purchases – what a thrill!) and a Treasury Size Avengers I had around that time.<br /><br />I love the dramatic ending here, with Hank collapsing, stuck at 10 feet. I’m also in agreement with Doug on characters not being too powerful, in general, is more interesting, especially in a team book. Not to say that I want Thor kicked out of the Avengers, but you know what I mean.dbutler16https://www.blogger.com/profile/00046066729353639991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-50806875916427961222012-06-30T12:32:13.024-05:002012-06-30T12:32:13.024-05:00Thanks very much, everyone, for your comments. Ka...Thanks very much, everyone, for your comments. Karen and I will of course continue not only the partner reviews and solo reviews, but we hope to bring in a little more passion to this new "favorites" feature. I believe she is going to lead-off her half of the debut with a fun Spidey story from Marvel Tales.<br /><br />I think this will serve to enhance the blog a bit, as we'll dip into the Silver Age from time-to-time. Let's face it -- whether we read that material as reprints in the Bronze Age or perhaps actually had the material in its original form, it is seminal and I think for the majority of us an important piece of our comics-loving pie.<br /><br />Bracketology polls will go up late tonight (my time), with the comments open in tomorrow's post.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-61914068880286722842012-06-30T12:05:28.363-05:002012-06-30T12:05:28.363-05:00Nice write-up, Doug. Your enthusiasm for a much-lo...Nice write-up, Doug. Your enthusiasm for a much-loved book really comes out here.<br />It also reminds me: someday, someway, somehow, I have to find a way to finally read that stretch of Avengers from about issue 5 and almost the entirety of the Kooky Quartet period. I started reading the reprints in MTA toward the end of Heck's run, as I only remember reading a few issues drawn by him from that period. And yes, Heck was really at the top of his game here - I've said it many times before, but he's a rather unfairly maligned comic-book artist.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-67707767871772147802012-06-30T08:55:14.841-05:002012-06-30T08:55:14.841-05:00Yes, when you gather around a table and talk about...Yes, when you gather around a table and talk about genuine classics, this one may not be among anyone's 'top 10' (besides Doug's..), but it's what I call 'solid stories'. Well crafted, nice build, sturdy characters/dialog, nothing to fancy. just good story-telling.<br /><br />A loyal 'kooky quartet' fan, I really liked how Heck drew everyone back then. I dare say this was Heck at his finest. I too loved how Cap was drawn with the lighter color, which the Mego figure seemed to emulate more than the current Cap series with Falcon.. <br /><br />Both Heck's drawing of Cap here, and against Power Man and Swordsman just a few issues before are most memorable and among my favorite depictions ever, on-par with the finest from Kirby and the Buscema brothers, which says a lot in my book.<br /><br />The kooky quartet was a marvelous Stan Lee idea which I wished would have stayed around longer, and perhaps came back more often in the Bronze era with later heroes, but this was the best of times for our heroic team.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-91478616274146684612012-06-30T08:05:08.880-05:002012-06-30T08:05:08.880-05:00No question about it. Don Heck certainly earned h...No question about it. Don Heck certainly earned his spot in the ranks of revered Avengers artists during this early era of the book. I think folks that aren't familiar with this deeper history tend to react with a "Don Heck?? Really???" response, and an eyebrow raised in disbelief. But his more realistic (than Kirby's) drawing style does a lot, I think, to help gloss over much of Stan's habitual improvisational script loopiness (god love 'im). <br /><br />(Yes, Wanda taking the immense time to sew a just-in-case new costume for a long-departed & presumed missing member was a true howler the first time I read it-!)<br /><br />The whole issue is a perfect example of that early, rough-around-the-edges, fast-paced, gritty, real & ragged Marvel Universe that we loved so very much (even if we came to it after the fact, by just a year or two-!).<br /><br />Yeah, consistent scale for Goliath and other giants is always a problem. A very good panel that captures the 25' size is the one you show with him finally shooting up in the alley.<br /><br />HBhumanbellynoreply@blogger.com