the Avengers origin by Walt Simonson!

Have you ever wondered how the Avengers first got together? Well here is the story as told by the ever energetic Walt Simonson. His art is so lively that it virtually explodes off of the page. It's a constant joy and here in this little gem from Avengers #300, Feb 1989, he retells the classic Lee/Kirby tale from Avengers #1, Sep 1963. It's a long forgotten little piece that is well worth remembering.

Happy 97th Birthday Jack Kirby! The Marvel story.

Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994), born Jacob Kurtzberg, was one of the greatest comic creators ever. Not only did he create important comics and heroes of the Golden Age like Captain America but he revitalized the whole industry with his Marvel Comics creations of the 60's and influenced all the succeeding artist for decades afterwards.

Self portrait of Jack Kirby with many of his creations.

Ultron's Bride! by Jim Shooter and George Perez

It seems that anyone who writes the Avengers all do their take on Ultron, one of their greatest foes, and Jim Shooter and George Perez were no exception when they created the awesome epic tale of Ultron's Bride.

Avengers #58, "Even an Android can Cry"

Avengers #58, "Even an Android can Cry" is one of the truly classic comics of the silver age with writer Roy Thomas and John Buscema at the top of their game. It's one of those era defining comics!

Joe Jusko did an amazing job recreating this classic cover originally by "Big" John Buscema's for Avengers #58.

The Avenger's The Earth's Mightiest Comic title!

There is so much goodness packed into The Avengers over the years with so many amazing creators that each one deserves a essay of their own, but for lack of space and time I'll give you the abridged highlights of the title.

The Avengers issue #177 is one of the first comics I ever owned and made me a life long Avengers fan.

Jack Kirby's use of 4 panel grid

I find comics fascinating, not only in their content but also in the way that content is communicated. With this and subsequent posts I'd like to look at some of the more popular forms of panel arrangements in comics.
Besides the splash page (which is technically not a comic page in the true definition of comics being a medium of sequential panels) the most basic of the common page divisions is the 4 panel grid.
When I think of the 4 panel grid I think of Kirby's Silver and Copper age work on titles like the Fantastic Four and the New Gods, in fact I have a hard time thinking of any other artist that does use this form of page layout.

The 4 panel grid can be good when you have a very wordy page. The sameness of the panels creates a rhythm that is easier to follow. A 9 panel grid might work as well or better depending on the page.

The Avengers nemisis - The masters of Evil!

I have been an Avengers fan for as long as I have been a comic fan. One of my very first comics was an Avengers and it still remains a favorite even today. And of the all of the Avengers killer foes, the one that has been the most challenging, the most diabolical, the most deliciously menacing to me has been The Masters Of Evil! They keep popping up giving the Avengers a run for their money!