50 Years Ago, the Avengers' First Non-Comic Book Adventure...

...involved a world-conquering madman!

Note: neither Quicksilver or the Scarlet Witch appear in the book, though they're referenced as past members.

The Wasp and Iron Man are the other featured members of the team in this story!

The cover art is by James Bond movie poster artist Robert McGinnis!

Written by long-time pulp/comic book writer Otto Binder (whose credits include Superman and the original Captain Marvel, this never-reprinted tale is a rolicking, fast-paced adventure that would have made a kool flick back in the Swinging 60s!

Trivia: Binder co-created both Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes!

Though there had been numerous paperback reprints of Marvel comics by Lancer Books, this was the first prose novel...and an original story, not an adaptation of any of the comics tales!
There were three previous comic book prose novels before this...all based on DC characters!
George Lowther's Adventures of Superman (which, technically, was based on the radio show), and Winston Lyons (William Woolfolk's) Batman vs the Three Villains of Doom (based as much on the tv show as the comic) and Batman vs the Fearsome Foursome (a novelization of the 1966 theatrical movie).

Karzz is more an alien Kang the Conquerer than Thanos the Mad Titan, but there are a number of parallels between this and Infinity Wars.
Now, before you go see the new movie...read the intro and first chapter of this lost classic...

The inside cover teaser!

Yes, (Stan the Man) Lee intros the story!

Iron Man does show up in Chapter Two...after running into Karzz!

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Avengers Battle the Earth-Wrecker

by Otto Binder

How the Black Panther Became the Black LEOPARD...then Went Back to Being the Black PANTHER! Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...The Black Panther changed his name to "Black Leopard" in Fantastic Four #119 (February 1972)...

...then, several months later, changed it back to "Black Panther" in Daredevil #92 (October 1972)...

Why?

When he appeared a month later in Avengers #105 (November 1972)...

...with the first cover caption since 1969 to use his super-hero name...

...even Hawkeye was confused...and the other Avengers were curious as well...

This was Steve Englehart's first Avengers story, and while most of it is Englehart's material, this particular aspect is clearly editor/departing writer Roy Thomas' doing.

Roy is an incredible continuity fan, and has never left a plotline unresolved if he could do something about it!

With this issue, the Panther became a full-time Avenger again until #126...

...when, after kicking a disguised Klaw's ass yet again, he departed for Wakanda to begin his own series in Jungle Action #6 (1973)!

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Essential Avengers

Volume 5
and

Essential Avengers
Volume 6

(reprinting the complete stories we excerpted here...but in black and white!)

How the Black Panther Became the Black LEOPARD...then Went Back to Being the Black PANTHER!

Many stories providing background for the new Black Panther movie mention how, in Fantastic Four #119 (February 1972), T'Challa changes his super-hero name...

But none of them mention when or why Marvel reversed the name change!

As we pointed out HERE, Marvel had been using the Panther's civilian name on covers, which was a little silly since he was in costume...

...even on the book where he changed his name from Black Panther to Black LEOPARD...

...thus, T'Challa's name change was firmly established!

Or was it?

T'Challa's next appearance was in Daredevil #92 (October 1972)

...where this symbolic cover shows Daredevil, the Black Widow, and the Black Panther!

Nope, I'm not kidding!

A villain kidnaps the Black Widow and figures out Matt Murdock is Daredevil!

He sends a martial arts-trained assassin to kill Murdock...

Note something a little...off..about 'ol Hornhead?

Figure out what's going on?

Clue: Daredevil doesn't use his billy club...his primary weapon!

T'Challa's calling himself "Black Panther" again!

Why?

Did writer Gerry Conway forget the name change in FF #119?

Guess what, True Believer?

You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out!

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Essential Darevevil

Volume 4

(which reprints the complete story we excerpted...but in black and white)

RIP Patrick Macnee (1922-2015)

Remember the kool British spy tv series The Avengers and the team of Steed & Keel?

"Wait, you mean 'Steed & Peel', right?"

Nope, I meant "Steed & Keel"!

That's how the series was meant to be!

Read about how the show would never have "crossed the pond" if it had stayed with it's original, somewhat dull, concept HERE.

If it hadn't, we wouldn't be mourning the passing of actor Patrick Macnee, who made the somewhat stereotypical character of John Steed the distinctive cult icon he is today...

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Opens Today!

Avengers...ASSEMBLE

(at the nearest multiplex!)

Check out the official site HERE.

Guess What I'm Wearing to a Screening of AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON...?

It's not an original 1960s shirt, but the now-OOP Graphitti reproduction.

Be interesting to see who identifies the three heads...

Before Ultron...there was Makino!

Who created Ultron?

If you go with the new movie Avengers: Age of Ultron...Tony Stark aka Iron Man. and Bruce Banner aka The Hulk!

If you go with Marvel Comics history...Henry Pym aka Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Goliath/Yellowjacket/Wasp/etc (Don't ask. It's too long a story...).

In reality, it was writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema in Marvel's Avengers V1 #54 (1967).

But where did Roy come up with the idea?

Well, he "borrowed" it from Captain Video!

Yep!

In #3 of Captain Video's short-lived 1950s title, he faced a robot named Makino who killed his scientist creator and then threatened all mankind!

The story left such an impression on the young Roy Thomas that, almost two decades later, he adapted elements of that story into the long-running saga of Ultron!

Roy explained how it came about in TwoMorrows' Alter Ego #114.

You can read the actual comic story on our "brother" RetroBlog Secret Sanctum of Captain Video HERE and HERE!

Brian Clemens (1931-2015)

The name might not be immediately identifiable, but his most famous creation is...

...although they couldn't use the show's name on an American comic book because some upstarts in tights had usurped it!

Wonder what ever became of those guys...

Besides a sequel series, The New Avengers, Brian Clemens also created and wrote The Professionals, CI 5: The New Professionals, Thriller (not the 1-hour b/w Boris Karloff show, but a color 90 min anthology series), wrote episodes of Danger Man (aka Secret Agent) and Adam Adamant Lives, and scripted a number of popular genre movies including See No Evil, Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and the cult flick Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde.

Return of the Ants, Man!

The ants are back in the living room...in force!

Makes you wonder if Henry Pym's a little perturbed he wasn't included in either the Avengers movie or the new Age of Ultron, and is getting his six-legged friends to "lobby" for his big screen debut...

Return of the Ants, Man!

Due to the mild winter, the ants are back in the kitchen...in force!

Makes you wonder if Henry Pym's a little perturbed he wasn't included in the Avengers movie, and is getting his six-legged friends to "lobby" for his big screen debut...

The Avengers are HERE!

Variant Mondo poster by Tyler Stout

The Avengers opens today.

So why are you sitting around reading this blog?

Get out there and see it!

I've seen it, and it's KOOL!

NOTE: Stay for the whole end-credits sequence!

There's two tag-scenes, one at the very end of the credits!

Mondo poster by Tyler Stout

And don't forget Free Comic Book Day tomorrow...

YouTube Wednesday Reux: IRON MAN "Enter Hawkeye" (& Black Widow)

While everyone's familiar with Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America, most don't know...

Hawkeye and the Black Widow!
Hawkeye the Marksman first appeared as a misunderstood hero in Iron Man's series in Tales of Suspense #57, where he met the already-ongoing villainess (yes, villainess) Black Widow!
That story and it's follow-ups in Tales of Suspense #60 & 61...

...were the basis for the cartoon from the Marvel SuperHeroes Show (1966) below!

The previous episode in the Iron Man series had introduced the Black Widow in a tale adapted from Tales of Suspense #46 (the first Crimson Dynamo story)...

  ...and Tales of Suspense #52 (the sequel which featured the Black Widow's first appearance)!

The episode features one of the characters actually dying on screen (A rarity in 60s cartoons)!

Enjoy!

YouTube Wednesday: THE AVENGERS "Molto and the Invasion of the Lava Men"

Adapted from Journey into Mystery #97..

 and Avengers #5 (1964), this combined tale was done as an episode of Mighty Thor! on the Marvel SuperHeroes Show (1966)!

Avengers-based stories were adapted into all the heroes' series except Sub-Mariner! (who was edited out of the animated versions of stories he did appear in, like "Return of Captain America", which adapted Avengers #4!)
Featuring Mighty Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Giant-Man & the Wasp (who I really wish were in the movie since Hank Pym is my favorite Marvel character...)
Both tales by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby.
(The animated version also uses some Don Heck and Joe Sinnott art to fill in continuity gaps.)

and go see the movie this weekend!

What's wrong with this cover?

Look closely...
Figure it out?
Clue: One of those Avengers (as shown) doesn't belong there...
Ready for the answer?
Iron Man!
"But..." you say, "Iron Man was one of the original Avengers!"
Quite correct!
But...the all-gold armor Iron Man never appeared with Captain America!
By Avengers #4, when Cap was defrosted, Iron Man was wearing his first red-and-gold armor...

...so this particular assemblage of Avengers, as shown, never occurred!
You could say the cover is "symbolic", but shouldn't "accurate" transcend "symbolic", especially when it's easy to do and would look equally-dramatic?
(The red-and-gold armor was less-bulky and looked kooler!)
Yeah, it's nit-picking, but I expect better from "professionals" who are paid to "get it right".
Hell, it's what I did when I was working full-time in the business...