Avengers Assembled

If you had to pick six Avengers to be on the team who would you pick?  The Avengers Assemble movie has gone with Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye.  Mostly obvious choices for the movie audience, Hawkeye being the exception.  Hardcore comics fans will always have a favourite line-up but I am betting most would not favour this six.  Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's Ultimates updated and re-booted the Avengers in an alternate ultimate Marvel universe in 2002 and the movie takes its tone from their re-imagining.  Samuel L. Jackson may be fanboy heaven as Nick Fury but for this Silver and Bronze Age fan this is not really the Avengers.

The Avengers Pencil Art by Jack Kirby, Inks: George Roussos
Avengers #4 (March 1964)

Atomic Knights

Atomic Knights John Broome (words) and Murphy Anderson (art)
Strange Adventures #138 DC Comics 1962

Post Third World War apocalyptic devastation! Irradiated invulnerable medieval armour! Giant Dalmatians! Psychic sentient plants! It is DC Comics' Silver Age science fiction series the Atomic Knights.

John Broome (words) Murphy Anderson (art)

Devil Dinosaur

Devil Dinosaur
Pencil art by Jack Kirby
Inks: Frank Giacoia

Jack Kirby returned to Marvel Comics in 1976 and created the ongoing series Devil Dinosaur in 1978.  The comic lasted nine issues before cancellation.

Fury or Rock?

Who is the best sergeant in comics?  Nick Fury or Frank Rock?  Do you like shirt shredding, ammo belt wearing helmetless sergeants or shirt shredding, ammo belt wearing helmeted sergeants? The Howlers or Easy Company? Stan and Jack's Marvel Age take on war or Bob and Joe's premier war icon? Let me know which Silver Age top kick you prefer:

Sgt Fury by Jack Kirby

 

Sgt Rock by Joe Kubert

Joe Kubert Part 1

It is a cliche that a picture paints a thousand words and the greatest artists are able to express emotion and movement with a few pencil markings on a page.  The greatest were also storytellers as skilled as the finest cinema directors.

Jack Kirby, Carmine Infantino, Steve Ditko, Gil Kane, Gene Colan, Joe Kubert, Curt Swan, Jim Steranko, Murphy Anderson, Russ Heath, Neal Adams, John Buscema, John Romita, John Severin, Wally Wood, Ramona Fradon, Bruno Premiani, Marie Severin, Jim Mooney, Nick Cardy and Dick Sprang are all on my list of the greatest artists of the Silver Age.

Let's start with Joe Kubert.

Sgt. Rock, Bulldozer, Little Sure Shot, Jackie Johnson, Mlle. Marie, The Losers, the crew of the Haunted Tank and WWI air ace Steve Savage, the Balloon Buster
Art by Joe Kubert

Silver and Bronze Age Subjects

Having read thousands of comics and read hundreds of blogs about comics I thought it was about time I added my voice to the internet.  I am passionate about the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics.  I think of the Silver Age as starting with the new Comics Code in 1954 and then ending in 1971 when the code was relaxed.  Thus the Bronze Age commenced at this point and ended when DC Comics completed their Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986.

Crisis on Infinite Earths marked the end of the Bronze Age
Cover by George Perez
Writer: Marv Wolfman

So you can expect me to write about any comic, character or creator published between 1954 and 1986.  Quite a broad sweep of history to cover.