Episode 1339 Talkback: Spotlight on The Avengers in the Silver Age
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We're giving the Avengers the CGS spotlight treatment in honor of their fifty-year anniversary, starting with the Silver Age. Prepare yourselves for vile villains, rapid roster revisions, and many other twists and turns in the early careers of Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Chris Eberle from Wild Pig Comics joins us to navigate us through this time in the team's history. Avengers Assemble! (1:54:30)
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Matthew
PS
Any updates on Legends part 2 yet Jamie D.?
(Not a hint of irony in that, I love listening to this guy talk.)
Like Jamie, I'm a longtime Avengers fan. I'm not currently buying Avengers books, primarily due to the fact that there are SO many right now, coupled with my unwillingness to pay $3.99 for a comic. But they remain first and foremost my favorite collection of characters.
Quite looking forward to the remainder of the episode as my day progresses.
Roy Thomas did a lot of world building, but two things he did not add were Avengers Mansion or Jarvis the Butler. The mansion was introduced in issue #2 (though Thomas may have been the first to actually name it 'Avengers Mansion') as the setting for the team's HQ. Jarvis was first introduced in the Captain America stories in Tales Of Suspense and then transferred to the Avengers book by Thomas; initially, he was seen attending to Cap shortly after Cap had moved into the Mansion. Initial credit for both go to Lee and Kirby. Thomas, however, did flesh them out much more fully.
Hercules spent a year or so with the team, but wasn't made a member until Avengers Annual #1. (Or Avengers Special #1, whatever they were calling it at that time.) He left the team soon after to return to Olympus.
Hank Pym's nervous breakdowns actually began before his 'Yellowjacket' episode, harking all the way back to his early days as Ant-Man. In fact, the backstory was told during the Wasp's first appearance: he had been previously married and his first wife was kidnapped and killed behind the Iron Curtain -- that resulted in his first breakdown, before he ever developed Pym Particles and became Ant-Man, setting up the condition and pattern for years to come.
Half of the team inductees during that period were pretty short-termed for one reason or another: Hercules, as noted, left almost as soon as he was formally made a member; Wonder Man betrayed the team and then was killed (but he would get better much later on); the Swordsman betrayed the team and got away (though he would reform, also much later); Black Knight joined, but only actively participated in a few random stories.
I'm surprised that Cornelius Van Lunt and the Zodiac cartel didn't get a mention -- but maybe I'm misremembering and they came around during the next period.
The Harlan Ellison story was actually the first of a two-parter; the conclusion was in that month's Hulk and first introduced the Hulk's first, true love... Jarella.
I'm also surprised that no one noted that the Avengers also had a brief period of being undermanned for a very few issues, where the team consisted of only Hawkeye, Goliath and the Wasp. Smallest team ever.
And for other media during this period: the first Avengers prose novel was released -- The Avengers Battle The Earth-Wrecker by famed comics scribe Otto Binder, released by Bantam Books. Featured team members were Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Goliath and the Wasp.
I also loved that "undermanned period!" Goliath, Wasp, and Hawkeye were acting all sullen and pissed off at each other cuz Quicksilver and Wanda had run off with Magneto and Cap wasn't around...but things all started getting back together when T'Challa showed up.
I guess you can see the Avengers two ways. My view is no more than one or two teams because they are the elite of the elite. Or more Avengers is always a good thing.
Looking forward to finishing the episode. And the X-men too?
I can't remember what my first Avengers issue was, one the earliest issues I have any memory of is #152 so that could be the first and it is one of my favorite covers, Black Talon raising up Wonder Man in a swamp with Avengers in the background.
There are a lot of villians and allies from this period that got more page time through the years. I love Kang and Ultron but I always thought Grim Reaper was greatly under used and I always thought Red Wolf would have made a good addition to the team.
Quick question - I could swear at the beginning of the podcast, Chris brought a present to the crew, in the form of a supplement to the "75 Years of the DC Universe" hardback.
I love that hardback, and I'm trying to read everything that was highlighted in that book. (I love those series of books enough that after the Spider-Man spotlights you did last year, I picked up the Spider-Man version...and I'm not even a Spider-Man fan!).
My question is this: What was the supplement that you guys mentioned? I'd love to read anything else that enhances that book.